Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that Theatre 57 has organised as a collective. I hope they will be an example to other struggling artists around the country of the need to organise in such a way to ensure that, when events are happening in their area and there is State investment, there can be a legacy afterwards. I am not talking about a bad legacy where people are disenchanted with the State but a good legacy where artists are left with some hope that they can sustain themselves and not be forced to leave the city. Many artists who originally founded Theatre 57 have had to leave the city in recent years because they cannot afford to live there or sustain themselves. That, if nothing else, should be concentrated upon.

Even though they may not have asked, I encourage the Minister to seek them and other such groups throughout the country out to discuss with them how to create a sustainable culture for artists and the like in the future.

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