or three weeks each year during the 1970s and early 1980s, the quiet town of Gorey in County Wexford was transformed. The town became a mecca for artists, writers, musicians and actors as well as for those interested in the arts. Well-known and distinguished figures from theatre, music, writing and the visual arts mingled with the local people and with those just beginning their artistic careers. The Gorey Arts Centre was established in 1970 by the late Paul Funge, a native of Gorey, and was the first such centre to have been set up in Ireland outside of Dublin.