Mr. Frank Foley:

I want to mention the role of schools. I have been teaching for almost 40 years. For many years prior to the new curriculum developments in drama, St. Jarlath's College in Tuam, St. Mary's College in Rathmines and schools throughout the country had youth theatre or student productions. We should get things right for them at primary and post-primary level and then look at areas of curriculum development.

Another point I want to make is a sort of a curveball. I am from Waterford but I have been living in Inchicore in Dublin 8 for more than 35 years. If we go from here towards Heuston Station and look for an arts venue or centre where my local society in Inchicore could put on a local drama or musical, it would be very difficult to find one. We are in Inchicore and we are trying to beg, borrow and steal with regard to venues. Forget about funding; go back to the basics of looking for a theatre that can put on a musical in an urban space in Dublin 8. We do not have one. The Tivoli Theatre is gone. The Rupert Guinness Theatre is gone. There was a fabulous art deco library on Emmet Road that Miami Beach in Florida would have loved but it is gone. People have been speaking about Cork, Cavan and Galway, and well done to them. An awful lot of work has been done by local authorities but I wonder about the urban-rural divide. Where are we at in Dublin with regard to bringing musicals and drama to our local communities?