Dr. Karan Casey:

On the power dynamics and why FairPlé has not reached its goals, we have been working, unpaid, for nearly four years, but the structural framework and power dynamic within our sector, which is folk and traditional music, make it difficult to enact change. In fairness to FairPlé and MiseFosta, we have initiated a conversation, but there needs to be more engagement from leadership. There is very little deep engagement, and we need that for our cultural shift. It should not be left up to victims of serious sexual assault and harassment to make that cultural shift.

One of the main issues that Ms Ní Nualláin alluded to in her beautiful speech was that we are a very close-knit community which is predominated by very powerful men who have not engaged. This discourages other people from engaging. By continuing to be silent on this issue, they enable predators. There are many predators. FairPlé is in receipt of information on predators it should not be in receipt of. We do not need to be. I do not need this in my life. They enable men to continue to tour. They are in their bands, they are not being taken out of their bands, even though it is known they have committed crimes. Only last week there were reports of two predators being back on the scene in two cities in Ireland.

I was appalled after the "Prime Time" programme when many of the stakeholders within folk and traditional music did not come out in support of MiseFosta, which is ,and I do not mean to be patronising, a group of young people who should not have the work they have had over the past year and a half.

I feel that, for musicians, these people seem to be tone deaf. They want to blaze out on tour and, in terms of predators going to festivals - and we are all going back out to work now - what has protected us, in effect, in the past two years or so has been the lockdown. I was on a gig and there was somebody in the building. Only for the Covid-19 restrictions, I would have had to meet him. I am now looking at taking gigs next year and judging who will be at those. I will have to plan my gigs around that, deciding whether I should go because I do not want to meet that person.

It has to be said, none of us are independently wealthy. We are all struggling, as many artists are, so it is an impossible situation. Somebody needs to take this burden of responsibility away from us. Somebody needs to put these Bills in motion, fulfil the recommendations of the ITI, set up an independent body to which people can make disclosures and roll out a policy package that talks about consent, not written by the Catholic Church, and talks about how somebody on the ground can deal with something if it happens.