Ms Lynn Scarff:

We are playing a central role in that and our Department just released its upcoming programme. There are a number of exhibitions on the programmes of the National Museum of Ireland and the cultural institutions and colleagues within the local and independent museums are playing a part in that. The role that cultural institutions play around the centenaries is very important. By our nature and the way that we programme and work, we are good places for approaching difficult, sometimes contested histories. We provide that space. Our collections allow us to take a more nuanced approach to that, and we can take the space and time to give people the points of reflection that they need. I would see our cultural institutions as playing probably one of the lead roles in that.

On the programmes that are coming up, for example, from the National Museum of Ireland's perspective, we have studio and State which opens at the end of this month around the signing of the treaty. That is a collaboration with the Hugh Lane gallery where we are taking the portraits of Lavery and elements from our collection to explore that particular moment in time. We have an artist in residence who is funded by the centenaries programme. Anthony Haughey will be with the National Museum of Ireland for two years exploring this topic with communities both North and South of the Border. We will have a number of programmes coming out of that. That kind of depth and breadth of programming is what is needed when talking about these kinds of centenaries. People need that space and time to explore that topic in a very rich way.