Mr. Declan Conlon:

I completely agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that it is not the Abbey's fault the arts are underfunded. It has a specific budget and we cannot expect the Abbey to solve all the problems in the theatre community. It is important for politicians to remember the soft power and reputational power the arts have in this country. Ireland is known throughout the world for its theatre and its arts. People often specifically come to the country to see something in the theatre. It is difficult to be working in the arts aware this is the reputation they have internationally and yet be living on the breadline at home. This situation has existed for a very long time and it needs co-ordinated increases in Arts Council funding so we will not be having disagreements among ourselves in the artistic community but will be getting together to lobby Governments for more funding and more respect for the arts.

With regard to the Abbey, we need to mention playwrights briefly. Historically the Abbey has had a canon of work produced by some of the greatest playwrights in the world, including Seán O'Casey and, more recently, Tom Murphy, Brian Friel and Thomas Kilroy. We have some really excellent-----