Among the factors that brought the Galway Cartoon Festival into being, perhaps most catalytic was the murder of twelve people – five of them cartoonists – at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper in Paris. A thing like that can change a when to a now.
Ten years on we look back in sadness, but also celebration. We embrace the artists lost that day and the spirit of satire that inspired them with a conference for cartoonists and set of related events.
We wish to thank Lyon-based media education group Ça Presse for joining us in this project, the Embassy of France in Ireland and the Galway French Consular Agency, and the city of Galway for substantial support via the CAIRDE fund.
Free Entry
As a backdrop to our conference, we are holding a special exhibition of work by leading cartoonists from France, Ireland, and many other countries.
Some of the works on display were created in immediate response to the tragedy. Others were drawn recently, with the benefit of a decade’s reflection on the issues of freedom, expression and tolerance that were raised.
In January 2025, Charlie Hebdo marked the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack that claimed twelve lives and profoundly marked French history. On January 7th, 2015, eight members of the editorial team were shot down in the newsroom and included the celebrated cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Honoré, Tignous, and Wolinski. Those tragic days shocked the world and raised urgent questions about freedom of expression, secularism, and the role of satire.
A decade later, commemorations across France and abroad paid tribute to the victims and reflected on the legacy of Charlie Hebdo. Exhibitions celebrated the work of the cartoonists who lost their lives, underscoring satire’s unique power to challenge intolerance and authority. International initiatives, from Cartooning for Peace to major newspapers, joined in remembrance, highlighting the attack’s global impact.
At the Galway Cartoon Festival, the anniversary will be marked with an exhibition and round table discussion titled Are We Still Charlie? Led by The Irish Times journalist Frank McNally, the talk will include cartoonists, some from Charlie Hebdo, and Chloé the widow of Tignous. The programme also features a screening of the moving film Je Ne Veux Plus Y Aller Maman and the participation of journalist Antonio Fischetti, a longtime contributor to Charlie Hebdo. Ten years on, the newspaper continues to publish every week, defying fanaticism with humor and resilience. The freedom to draw, to think, and to laugh endure – fragile, hard-won, yet unbroken.
Catherine Gagneux
French Honorary Consul Galway
Ça Presse is an association dedicated to media education with a particular focus on editorial cartooning, and works with both adult and school audiences to teach media literacy and sharpen critical thinking tools. They organise the Rencontres Internationales du Dessin de Presse in Lyon, and in March this year a special edition marking the tenth anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks attracted more than 16,500 visitors.
Ça Presse cartoonists Thibaut Soulcié and Camille Besse will give press cartooning masterclasses, contribute (along with other artists in the group) to our Charlie Hebdo memorial exhibition, and join their founder Coralina Picos for our round table discussion about the state and future of satire as an artform.
We are fortunate to be joined by two excellent French Press cartoonists who will show us the reality of their artistic process – all the way from coming up with a new idea to delivering a finished drawing by the deadline.
2.30-4.00pm, Friday, 3rd October.
Thibaut Soulcié was born in Loir-et-Cher in France and now calls Bordeaux home. Perpetually young at heart and in good spirits, he’s known for his wonderfully irreverent take on just about anything. His cartoons appear in L’Équipe, Marianne, Télérama, La Revue Dessinée, Fakir, Arte 28’, Fluide Glacial… and pretty much anywhere else that’s willing to join in the fun.
To book see: galwaycartoonfestival.ie/eventbrite
1.00-2.00pm, Saturday 4th October.
Camille Besse honed her artistic skills at ENSAAMA (Applied Arts), the Gobelins School, and ESAD (Decorative Arts). After collecting yet another diploma, she was welcomed into the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, where she truly found her calling: editorial cartooning. Her first cartoon appeared in 2018, marking the start of a five-year collaboration with the magazine.
Today, Camille’s work can be seen in a wide range of publications, including Marianne, Reporterre, L’Humanité, Le Pèlerin, Phosphore, and Les Cahiers Pédagogiques. Beyond the press, she creates comic books and animated films, and occasionally runs workshops in both schools and prisons—sharing her passion for drawing and storytelling with audiences far and wide.
To book see: galwaycartoonfestival.ie/eventbrite
4.00pm, Saturday 4th October
The heart of our conference will be a round-table discussion, where cartoonists will voice their reflections on the past, their concerns for the present, and their hopes.
The Ça Presse team from Lyon will take part, as will several of our guest artists from around the world including festival favourite Cristina Sampaio and leading American press cartoonist Jeff Danziger.
This event will be chaired by The Irish Times journalist Frank McNally.
Talk: 5.30pm, Saturday 4th October
Tignous (Bernard Verlhac) was a much-loved star of French cartooning, who began to contribute to Charlie Hebdo, Fluide Glaciale, Marianne and other major comic and satirical publications at the age of 23. While his work covered about any social or political issue you could name, he was most associated in the public mind with environmental causes – the plight of the panda particularly.
We are grateful to his widow Chloé for allowing us to exhibit his work, and for speaking to us about the artist she knew.
6:30pm, Saturday 4th October
Antonio Fischetti was a journalist at Charlie Hebdo. On January 7th, 2015 he escaped the attack thanks to a series of bizarre circumstances.
Once the shock had passed, he was forced to do some soul-searching to give meaning to a life fragmented by tragedy. His film – Je Ne Veux Plus Y Aller Maman (I Don’t Want To Go Anymore, Mom) – is a quest, both sensitive and offbeat, exploring the power of images and the meaning of the word freedom.
After the showing the filmmaker will be available to take questions at the Festival Club in the Galway Mechanics Institute, just down the road.
