Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion although I did not feel comfortable at first. It is not an area to which I am accustomed, unlike my esteemed colleague Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy. I am familiar with her work in County Offaly and her contribution to the arts. I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling this motion.

I decided to meander out of the House today and familiarise myself with places I do not usually go to. I went to the National Gallery of Ireland and re-familiarised myself with the beautiful Caravaggio painting. I encourage others to do likewise. I also went to Anne's Lane and a wonderful photography exhibition of the work of Willie Doherty from the Bogside in Derry. He is an international photographer with an exhibition of black-and-white photographs taken 30 years ago at the height of the Troubles.

There is a role for the arts and I try to say that as discerningly as I can. In the course of debate in this country over the past five years the impression is sometimes created that we almost live inside an economy. Sometimes we get institutionalised by this mindset and in this context the role for the Members of this House is to reach out to the arts. The arts are already reaching out at community grassroots level such as the Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal. The Galway politicians mentioned the formidable Galway Arts Festival. I refer to community arts and photography, through Willie Doherty, who is reaching out as a talented photographer. He is reaching out to communities.

In order to bring about the reconciliation we all aspire to in Northern Ireland, we must reach out to the arts. The arts have done tremendous work. If I speak on behalf of an artist, I will completely undersell his work. However, Willie Doherty is trying to reach a true understanding of what happened in Northern Ireland over the past 30 or 40 years. We must get to the bottom of it and appreciate that there will be scars. I encourage people North and South, Members and those outside the House, to view the powerful imagery of a photograph, shot on the Border between Muff and Derry, of a roadway where, two years ago, the body of Ciaran Doherty was dumped by the Real IRA. Photographs shot 30 years ago are as vivid as if we were back in that time. I encourage people to go to the Kerlin Gallery on Anne's Lane. To get to the bottom of the issue, the photographic imagery will do more to promote what happened than any politician can articulate.

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