Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the debate and commend Deputy Willie Penrose on raising the issue and allowing us to consider it. The music we listen to is important. When I leave the Chamber, the first thing I will do on my way home is put on my earphones and listen to John Creedon's radio show. I love it. It is the highlight of my day. I leave it to him as to whether he plays ska for the first half-hour or hour or whether he plays the Sultans of Ping non-stop. I trust him, and I love this quality in my day. It is important to me. If he is not on, or some similar show is not airing, I spend a lot of time jumping between stations trying to find something I like.

We are all influenced, particularly by the experiences of our younger years. I am a child of the 1970s, when we seemed to get it right. The musician Martin Hayes said something happened in Irish traditional music in the early 1970s that was truly spectacular. I could name endless bands such as the Bothy Band, Skara Brae and Planxty that were incredibly innovative, creative and popular, not just here but all over the world. We were the leaders and originators in world music on foot of the spark and creativity of that time. Although I am less tuned into it, it was probably the same in terms of show bands and country music. I am old enough to remember going around the country and seeing big crowds outside show band halls. It was a hugely popular and successful musical culture.

I was at home in punk. I am a child of punk and, at that time, for whatever combination of reasons, Ireland was an amazingly vibrant centre. We were right up to speed with punk just as much as London or Manchester, and we were proud. It did not seem like it was Irish. We were proud because they were local people but also because it was beyond being Irish. It was just contemporary and global. People all over the world were listening to Stiff Little Fingers or whichever of the plethora of bands that took off at that time. Perhaps it was because we were cut off. People did not travel to Ireland, given that they did not see it as safe. We did not have a huge amount of choice or radio stations. Perhaps, because we had so many young people, the culture was ripe for musical development.

We need to try to recreate that and build Irish music back up. It is still there. There is still talent and an incredible variety of different musical genres. The underlying capability and creative instinct is still there. However, two things have happened in the interim that changed the nature of how music is heard and how the music business works. The first of these was the development of all those radio stations. It is worth debating how we regulate them in terms of quality and diversity and how we get those in the industry to promote Irish music while giving them the freedom to retain their audiences and make their judgements in terms of how they play it. I am nervous about overly restricting them.

Last week, some member of the Tory Party stated that every British radio station should finish each night with "God Save the Queen". Somebody responded with John Lydon's version of "God Save the Queen" from the Sex Pistols. I slightly fear that we will just box ourselves in. What the Minister said about definitions is true. John Lydon is as Irish as anyone. I will go up to the former Frankie Kennedy Winter School, Scoil Geimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair in Donegal every year. Over the years I have seen all sorts of bands there. Are the Rankin Family Irish or Canadian? Is Caper Ceilidh Scottish or Irish? We could go on forever debating where we put the line. There are difficulties around it. However, it is worthwhile to consider how we do it regarding our regulation of radio.

The bigger change which has really affected the commercial viability of Irish music and the ability for people to earn a living and develop a career is the digital revolution that is altering so many things in our lives. Five or six years ago, I was on a platform with Paul Brady, one of my greatest musical heroes, and Niall Stokes who stated that it was killing them and was not working for the industry. The latter is true. The development of the Internet and social media and the flow of advertising to social media companies rather than local Irish media companies, and the fact that content can be copied, downloaded or stolen - whatever words we use - and that musicians are not getting paid, is one of the fundamental problems underlying the concern that has people sitting in the Public Gallery today.

I commend Deputy Penrose. I have listened very keenly to the different arguments in the debate. It is a very valid debate which needs to be deepened, widened and continued. I listened to what the Minister suggested regarding the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment, of which I am proud to be a member, and the suggestion that we consider establishing a public forum to consider how we manage the digital revolution to protect our media industries which have been crippled by the digital revolution or are under threat. We can talk about regulating radio stations but if they are not there in three years' time due to the fact that 80% of advertising revenue is going to social media companies, it is a threat to Irish music and all the good stations and DJs that Deputy Penrose mentioned. If they are not on the air in three years' time, no percentage we determine would have an effect.

The Minister is suggesting a public forum as a course of action. I would be happy to support that. It will be difficult to do it given that we are looking at the question not just of how we protect media providers in this changing digital landscape but also content creators. However, it is valid. Why not be ambitious and think big? We may have to give it more time and broaden the involvement so that Deputy Penrose, other individuals and the industry could come along to have the debate and make their views clear. We cannot stop the tide of technology. Young Irish musicians are using it and can use it in a variety of ways. We can try to shape it and ensure we protect or develop a strong cultural industry here.

It needs to go back to those roots in the 1970s of being free spirited, anarchic and not overly controlled. Nobody completely regulated for happened in traditional Irish music in the early 1970s. It happened as a result of a number of people in their 20s getting together and expressing themselves. While we have a role in trying to protect and develop, we must be careful not to be so expressive in terms of how we regulate it that we do not stifle the creative environment.

We need to be good with digital industries. We need to get our music out on digital platforms. We need to share it with the whole world and have it played on our radio stations. I agree with the Minister that we should use this forum as a means to consider the Bill in more detail. It is not intended to stop the debate. The debate needs to be deepened and lengthened. I commend the Labour Party on starting it.

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