Mr. Liam Hannaway:

As important as the shared island unit is, I make the point in my submission that the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland was working on a shared island basis long before it. Community groups and cross-community working has been happening across drama festivals like Dundalk, Cavan, Portadown and Newry. Anyone who has been involved in, or visited them, will know that. That was happening between the 1960s and 1980s, when times were very bad. It did not stop the drama movement operating, which was critical.

I will pick up on the Senator's last point about drama courses. What better way for a young person to start if they are thinking about drama as a course? We have drama A-levels in the North. A lot of people who get involved with the Irish society or with running festivals start off by doing a course. They were able to use the amateur theatres to hone their skills. They then ask themselves if it is a life they want to lead, in terms of going on to studying drama, culture and the arts at third level.