Mr. Mark Armstrong:

I will briefly answer Senator Mark Daly's question on enshrining the anthem in the Constitution or legislation. As I alluded to in my report, there are so many different arrangements and versions that we should decide the band arrangement and an arrangement for voice and pianoforte, which is the one that schoolchildren would learn. A number of versions are lurking on various Government websites, several of which contain mistakes in the melody and the harmonies are not great. There are also some good orchestral versions. It is important from a musicological point of view that we do all of that if we are going to the extent of copper-fastening this.

In Creative Ireland, there is an intent to bring music education to all children in the State. The Association of Irish Choirs, which I am associated with, is launching a project in the Mansion House on 13 December dealing with a music booklet for teaching all primary schoolchildren. I am involved in that project. We could use the intent of Creative Ireland and the project by the Association of Irish Choirs to bring the national anthem to schoolchildren from junior infants upwards.