Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Tá Aire Stáit na Saincheisteanna Tráthúla anseo inniu. Tá fáilte roimhe. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil an tAire, an Teachta O’Donovan, ag teacht isteach. Is mór an trua é nach bhfuil sé anseo ar dtús báire. B’fhéidir go dtiocfaidh sé. Chonaic mé go raibh sé anseo níos luaithe sa lá.

Ag déileáil leis an gceist seo, is ceist ríthábhachtach í do dhream beag in Éirinn, ach bíonn tionchar ag an dream sin ar bheagnach chuile dhuine againn, i slí amháin nó slí eile. Is é an rud atá i gceist anseo ná go mbeidh muid ag déanamh leasaithe cuibheasach simplí ar an Acht Ealaíon, 2003.

Is iad gáire maith agus codladh fada an dá leigheas is fearr i leabhar an dochtúra de réir an seanfhocail Ghaelaigh. Tá sé éasca daoine a chur ina gcodladh; ní gá ach éisteacht le roinnt de na hóráidí sa Teach le go dtiteann daoine ina gcodladh, agus bíonn daoine ina gcodladh. Chun daoine a chur ag gáire, áfach, tá scil ar leith ag teastáil. Uaireanta, bíonn an scil sin ag daoine; beag beann ar an stad ina bhfuil siad sa saol, bíonn siad in ann daoine a chur ag gáire. Bíonn sé sin an-tábhachtach. Is leigheas ar leith é do chuid mhór d'hfadhbanna an tsaoil. Cuidíonn sé leo siúd a bhfuil dementia orthu nó atá faoi mhíchumas. Cuidíonn sé linne ar fad ó thaobh ár gcuid meabhairshláinte de.

Tá áthas orm fáilte a chur roimh roinnt de na daoine a dhéanann an ealaín sin a chleachtadh. Tá roinnt acu san Áiléar Poiblí nó ag féachaint orainn ó lasmuigh inniu mar tá spéis ag dream ar leith sa Bhille seo. Tá spéis ag ealaíontóirí timpeall na tíre ann. Is é an rud atá i gceist inniu ná an Bille Ealaíon (Coiméide a Aithint) (Leasú), 2024. Is Bille é a chinnteoidh aitheantas agus tacaíocht ón Chomhairle Ealaíon do na fir agus mná grinn timpeall na tíre, rudaí atá diúltaithe orthu toisc an fhéachaint nó an tuiscint atá glactha ag an Chomhairle Ealaíon faoi láthair as an Acht Ealaíon, 2003.

We gather here in the Dáil this evening to debate a very simple Bill that would add just one word to the law of the land, to include comedy in the definition of arts in the Arts Act 2003. We are having this debate at the culmination of a long struggle by comedians for recognition and for Arts Council support in particular. I welcome Ailish McCarthy, who has led the fight for three years now, gathering thousands of signatures on a petition that supports the intention of this Bill. She has also gained the support of numerous arts organisations. Ailish should have been spending her time creating for her comedy sketches and for all of her life as a comedian, rather than having to divert away from that creative work to bang down the doors of the Arts Council, the Minister, politicians and us who are gathered here, to demand equality for one of Ireland's arts. At the same time, she is also trying to keep comedians aware of the resourcing opportunities that exist through her Irish comedy guide. She does that out of the goodness of her heart and an understanding of how difficult it is for comedians and to harness an awareness among comedians and their supports of the need for supports for comedy in Ireland. She is a champion of her art and, on behalf of TDs across the Dáil, I would like to take this opportunity to commend her on her work. Gabhaim buíochas le Ailish McCarthy as a cuid oibre go dtí seo. Níor chóir go mbeadh sí ag tabhairt faoin obair ná go gcuirfí an t-ualach breise sin uirthi ag feachtasaíocht anuas ar an obair atá sí ag déanamh i réimse an ghrinn ag cothú coiméide agus gáire ionann, mar tá an fhéith sin inti. Tá aitheantas ag dul di as sin.

I would also like to welcome other comedians who joined us earlier in an audiovisual room presentation, some of whom are looking in on Oireachtas TV and elsewhere. We had a very interesting briefing this morning for TDs and Senators with a number of comedians and those who are supporting the campaign, including Ciaran McMahon, Sinéad Crilly, Anthony Ferns and Richard Cook, who have all been strong advocates for comedy. Richard Cook founded the Cat Laughs festival in Kilkenny, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. There are many other festivals around the country as well as weekly, monthly and impromptu comedy nights across the country, which deserve to be supported.

The purpose of today's Second Stage debate on Sinn Féin's Arts (Recognition of Comedy) (Amendment) Bill is to decide on the general principle that comedy should be recognised as art. Thankfully, in some ways the debate is already won, in the minds of most politicians and in the hearts of the public. We received expressions of support from TDs and Senators from all parties today, from Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and the Seanad Independent Group, at that meeting. They are in favour of giving comedians the recognition and support they deserve. Nobody from the Government or the Opposition thus far has expressed any opposition to the Bill, which is a good sign. It is not a party-political issue. I hope we are not going to divide on it. We might divide on the approach to it later on, but not on the intent of the Bill. The Minister for culture, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, has gone public and expressed the view on RTÉ that the Arts Council should fund comedy as an art form. In some ways it is down to the Arts Council, but thus far it has not been willing or encouraging of the Bill. I welcome the Minister's words.

The proposal to delay the Bill by 18 months in its legislative journey is very strange given the expression of support. The last time the Minister and I were having a spat here in the Dáil, he asked me what I had against Listowel. What has he got against comedians? We will have that spat another time; he still has time to change his mind because this can progress to Committee Stage. Deputy Ciarán Ahern has proposed a delay of a month. That would be logical. When we vote on this in two weeks' time, that would put it up to Christmas. The committee would not receive the Bill until January at the earliest. The Brennan report on the Arts Council will have been published and digested at that stage, so the Minister would not have the excuse of having to wait for any reports. We would be able to progress this Bill to the pre-legislative scrutiny phase and deal with the outcome of that report. I hope this evening's debate will change his mind and that the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will withdraw or at least not move the amendment to delay this. The delay is costing people money. At the end of the day, these are comedians who do not get the recognition they deserve and definitely do not get the funding and income they deserve for keeping us all happy in the way we should be.

There is no doubt that comedy is an art. Section 2 of the Arts Act 2003 defines the arts as "any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes".

Comedy is not mentioned but nor are others. There is nothing exclusionary. The intention of the Bill, because they have been discriminated against, is just to insert that into the legislation so that there is no doubt. Ailish McCarthy wrote to all TDs in recent times and set out the case a lot more eloquently than I probably did. In one paragraph, she says:

Comedy is an integral part of Ireland’s cultural identity. It has entertained, challenged, and reflected our society while contributing significantly to the nighttime economy. Irish comedians have built a strong global reputation, enhancing Ireland’s image abroad while providing a thriving industry at home. Yet, despite its cultural and economic impact, comedy remains excluded from the same supports available to other art forms. This is why we need your support to progress this bill to the next stage.

The Bill needs to continue. It is not going to change the approach of the Arts Council overnight but it would if it became law within the next couple of months or a little bit further on if needs be. At least we would have thrashed out the impact of the change we are talking about.

We are trying to ensure that the Arts Council, which has a substantial amount of funding, shares that among all of the art forms. Thus far it has not been sharing that for the benefit of comedians in Ireland. We need to ensure that comedians have access to that funding - not a guarantee but access. They need access to apply for grants from which they have been excluded and access to apply for the supports that they deserve as an art form. That is the intent of the Bill but it is also the consequence of it because then comedians will be mentioned in law. Ailish McCarthy managed to get the support of a number of arts organisations and those who are supportive of, in some ways, the gig economy. She listed many of them: Safe Gigs Ireland, Aiken Promotions, Arts and Disability Ireland, Funny Women, Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network, Give Us the Night, Disabled Artists and Disabled Academics, Youth Theatre Ireland, the Irish Theatre Institute, the Irish Comedy Guide, the Live Comedy Association, the British Comedy Guide, Gorm Media, the Irish Film Institute, Safe to Create and the Performing Arts Forum. Irish Equity, which represents actors and performers, has stressed that art is made by the labour of creative people and there is no doubt there is a great deal of labour involved in crafting a stand-up routine or a sketch or preparing an improv comedy. These take skills and require time and dedication to write, rehearse and perform. Learning and teaching are required to develop the skills involved in this art.

Comedy is not a new art. Not alone did the Ancient Greeks consider drama to consist of both comedy and tragedy, but stand-up was present too in the Roman world. A wonderful story in Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Romedetails how a comic dealt with a hostile audience. The comedian who was on stage before him was killed for a joke that did not go down well in 91 BC. I am not suggesting we go back to those days but at least there is an understanding that comedy has a long history and is well respected. "So spare the swallow, which the gods allow to nest safely in all your houses”, said the ancient comedian, and today we in the Dáil say it. It is time to nurture the swallows of tomorrow. We do not have to look beyond these shores, however, to see the rich history of comedy as an art form. In Gaelic Ireland, the comedic art of satire was considered the most powerful weapon of a poet, capable of toppling a person's reputation, status and kinship and was even suspected of causing a person physical harm, as Dr. Gordon Ó Riain outlined to RTÉ Brainstorm earlier this year. I hope the Dáil will accede to the request that this Bill be passed and go to Committee Stage to continue its legislative journey without any delay. Go raibh maith agaibh.

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