Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Gabh mo leithscéal, níl a lán Gaeilge agam ach táim á fhóghlaim agus á labhairt. Bhí mé ábalta an Ghaeilge a labhairt when I was very young, but as everyone was saying, without the use of it, one loses it. One has the language but one does not have the conjunctions and one cannot put it together. If the witnesses do not mind, I will speak in English.

I thought the presentations were excellent and very informative and impressive. I will make a few observations and then add a few questions to them, starting with Mr. Balance. I thought his presentation was excellent, but it was more philosophical than real. It was about artistic endeavour when we want to get answers from the Arts Council as to where it sees its role in giving out money and why the percentage of the council's budget given out in grants is so much lower. Perhaps Mr. Balance might also tell me what he thinks about Creative Ireland and whether it will play a part in the development of the Irish language and the arts, and the arts through Irish, which as Fíbín has pointed out is the greatest way to learn them. How much funding is given to Fíbín?

Foras na Gaeilge was also very impressive and it is interesting that the witnesses say their money has decreased. It is suffering decreases while the Arts Council is suffering the increases. Why do I not hear more of Foras na Gaeilge's voice about that in taking on the Arts Council, since it is the main body, or taking on the Government? Why do I not hear more about how much more money Foras na Gaeilge needs?

Údarás na Gaeltachta came across as an arts council in its own right, as did Foras na Gaeilge, in all it has been doing and its practices. The question of funding arises again and how far údarás has pushed that in terms of an increase in its funding.

Turning to Fíbín, I am delighted Mr. Ó Tuairisc is here. He and I go back a long way. I remember going to Donegal to visit some friends 15 or 16 years ago. They said there was a play on that night as Gaeilge, and it was Fíbín. They were outstanding in every way, in the way they presented their play, their magic, their artistry, their music and the cleverness of it. I booked the company and Fíbín came to the Helix. It is extraordinary to have Fíbín here and it represents everything we are talking about.

One of the things that happens when I go to learn Irish in the Oireachtas is that I am taught with a flip chart. I am back to being spoken to and learning the language through a flip chart. We are still at that, whereas Members in the Houses want to learn to speak an Ghaeilge.

Will Mr. Ó Tuairisc tell me what he felt about what he heard, since he is the artistic and living embodiment of a lot of the arts at this meeting? Will he tell me what is the right kind of funding? If I may, I will give him a piece of advice not to compare himself with opera. Fíbín is not comparable with opera, the same way as it is not comparable with the Abbey Theatre. The group is its own self and is brilliant.

The following is directed at Mr. Balance. People talk to me about standards in the arts and that it is all about standards. I have spent a lot of time in the theatre, and on many occasions in our national theatre I cannot even hear the actors. We cannot just talk about standards as being the only way forward. That is the judgement call. Some of the things we do and to which we give an awful lot of money lack standards. They will not be named here. Perhaps somebody could speak on that.

I am particularly interested in hearing what Mr. Ó Tuairisc has to say about what he has heard here.