Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether the Minister of State is aware that in December 2015, Ireland ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and it was important that we did. Sports are allowed to go ahead in groups and people can practise. Teachers and dancers recognise that the restrictions are necessary to curb the spread of Covid but this is totally unfair. I have received 1,208 letters but one of them, from a six-year-old girl, is very striking. She wrote that she misses and loves dance, and asked that she be let back to it so that she can dance, be happy and have fun. It is vital that we protect our culture and heritage, and dance is a very important part of that. What is the point of signing up to United Nations conventions if we are not going to allow the people the right? Dancing schools are very safe environments. The dancers are in pods and there are some very expensive and well-designed dance studios. They are very well designed, safe and well ventilated. The Minister of State may not be a dancer himself but he is well able to sidestep this issue, so he would be a good learner.

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