Mr. Brian Rowntree:

It is a pleasure to be here and share a platform with colleagues from the arts world. We have seen through all the presentations that arts is plural and it is about having a collegiate approach. There are those in our society who are seeking an engagement with the arts and there are people creating the product and developing the service that arts can offer.

McAuley Place is pretty unique in many ways and it is a pleasure and honour for me to be its chairman, given that I am not originally from Ireland. I am from Northern Ireland. I took over the chairmanship of McAuley Place last November and it has been an absolute privilege to interact with those who have such a vision for a wonderful environment as McAuley Place.

For those who do not know it, McAuley Place is located in Naas, County Kildare. It is primarily a housing association - that was the original intent - and it provides 53 units of accommodation for those advancing in years. It is first-class accommodation that is home for people, and the primary aim of McAuley Place is to provide a home. For those who do not know me, I was previously chairman of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for ten years. I have always used the phrase, "It is not where you live but how you live". Accommodation can be built that suits a location but it might not suit the people who want to live there. The environment in which one lives dictates how one lives and how one conducts one's life in accordance with circumstances. The arts play a major part in creating that environment so people can enjoy the social interaction that comes with living in whatever environment they inhabit.

McAuley Place has expanded and is a €1 million-plus community enterprise. Its income streams are generated from rental income, tea rooms, charity shops, a community centre and cultural activities and donations. There is a fantastic sense of spirit within the town centre. The resident base is varied and covers many traditions, and visitors and those who participate in our activities are from many traditions and nationalities. There is a mix of genders and people from rural and urban backgrounds. There are people who have come to live in an urban environment who were previously in rural areas and it is fantastic to hear their view on engagement with the arts. We have created an environment where people can enjoy living while contributing to how we develop that environment. Ms Margharita Solon had the vision for McAuley Place and I am honoured for her to be here today. We are a double act in many ways and she will contribute on the aspects of her vision being translated into reality through the delivery of some programmes and activities.

We have much more to do. There is a housing requirement - a term I use carefully - but we must get the right type of housing and the right environment in order to create the right communities and develop the correct ethos for living. We must also create a culture where the arts and those involved with the arts understand what is meant by people "living". It is not about creating something people do not want but rather creating something that people can buy into. We must work with those in the arts family to refine and advance the product.

This is critical because we live in a new world of digital connection and we must bring that world into the arts, which is a challenge for us.

In many ways our biggest challenge in McAuley Place is Government policy, where Government policy sits in relation to Government resources and how that is matched with the collective vision of everyone in this room and others outside. It is a question of how we bring this pluralism of vision, resource and policy to the table and how we can advance our thinking accordingly. We have one big vision, which is our health-through-learning centre, on which Ms Solon will elaborate in a few moments. That vision is still just a vision for us because the reality is that we find it difficult to find the right funding streams for us to take it forward. The commitment of our organisation is that we will have to do that ourselves. We have to go into advance borrowings as an organisation but we want to create and breathe life into that vision and create an additional, very positive activity stream for McAuley Place.

I believe McAuley Place brings a sense of hub to living in Naas. Most people, if not everyone, around Naas knows McAuley Place; our challenge is to get to know them. Their knowing us is fine, but we must know them. We must advance our thinking in society. We must do arts with society but also within society. The challenge is to get the "with" and the "within" on the right platform.

I will hand over to Ms Solon.