Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply. Brexit, alongside the absence of a working Assembly, has put a whole new level of strain on North-South cultural connections. Regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, cultural links between Ireland and the North of Ireland must be strengthened and supported .

In recent weeks I had the pleasure of meeting some of the staff from the MAC gallery in Belfast city centre and perhaps the Minister may have done so also. Being from a Border county and having worked in curatorial practice before I ever became a politician, I had the experience of bringing together artists from North and South. I see a huge opportunity for the Border counties as to what is happening on the bigger political scale at the moment with Brexit.

Having spoken with artists, arts practitioners, curators and educators from the North of Ireland, there is a real concern and paralysis arising from the non-functional Assembly. It is leaving them almost in limbo. There is a real desire, interest, energy and enthusiasm on their part to engage further with the Minister, with us, and with the culture and artistic sector of the Republic. There is a real opportunity. Aside from what has been happening with North-South co-operation, which has been happening for the past ten years, what new initiatives are the Minister and her Government undertaking to strengthen those links?

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