Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I know it is an iterative process, but it is certainly easier to get in at the ground floor on these things. If we establish the space for this particular dimension of our well-being framework, I believe we can expand from that. I try to explain this idea to economists, who do not very often pick up on it. I try to explain to them that if they do not understand that the progress of Oulart-The Ballagh in the Wexford senior hurling championship plays quite a large role in my father-in-law's sense of well-being, they do not quite understand the country in which I live. Similarly, if they do not understand the importance of James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Martin Hayes, U2 or even, God help us, Westlife, they are not really understanding that there is more to life than those things that economists like to measure. The Minister said that we should have a well-rounded and holistic view. I strongly believe that cultural and linguistic dimensions are essential and intrinsic to that well-rounded and holistic view.

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