Ms Majella O'Neill Collins:

I have been involved in this for 17 years and I came to the island almost 30 years ago. When I first came, fishing and farming were important for the island but, unfortunately, they have disappeared and the arts are now our strength. Sherkin Island is unique and people are now coming to the island, when they used to have to leave the island. This project could be tried on any of the islands. The most important thing is that, instead of a gallery, artists use the beach, the farms and the kitchens. Any college could set up in a rural area but in this case the community is very involved. A student working on REPS got involved with the farmers and did something on social dancing, which brought people out of themselves and led to information being shared. The farmers, fishermen and ferry people all share their information on the history and culture of the place and the artists feed into that.

When a show is done for the degree course it stays on the island for two days and some 1,000 people come onto the island. Many artists, writers, poets and musicians live in the island population and from September to May some 40 more come in, which makes a huge difference to the pubs and restaurants, the hotel and the hostel. In the winter time there is an extra buzz from all this. Without it the island would be dead. People stay for weekends and do installations, videos etc. There is a lot of contemporary art and the islanders have a sense of pride in it all because they feel ownership of it.

I was able to raise my children on the island and if I did not have the job I would have had to commute. Many people have been involved and everyone has given blood, sweat and tears to make it work. One gets worn down when one is always hunting for money. We go to the United States for St. Patrick's Day and showcase our artists, which is special for an island of only 90 people. I want my kids to come back and bring their kids but without this course a lot of things will die. The funders came and saw the amount of energy on the island and the diversity of what was happening. Artists work with exciting political issues and personal things and it feeds into Uillinn, the west Cork arts centre, and it is a hub that keeps going. We all are in the same situation and have to get on. It would be amazing if the Government and the powers that be could give it the energy it deserves.

Some 15 people are applying for the next run and we were blessed to have the Museum of Modern Art involved. The Tate Modern in Liverpool was also involved and Dr. Michael Birchall opened the show for us. He was blown away by it. Jesse Jones represented Ireland at the Biennale and came to lecture here. These are big names and we are proud to have them in Sherkin. If we could just have a bit more the world would be our oyster.