Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture and Sport the plans in place to celebrate Dublin's achievement as a United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation City of Literature; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36711/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The plans to celebrate the designation of Dublin as UNESCO City of Literature are anchored by Dublin City Council. My Department is represented on the steering committee, as are a number of the arts, culture and tourism agencies under its aegis. As Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, I was very pleased that Dublin was honoured in this way and that the city council's application to UNESCO for the title of Dublin City of Literature was successful. In that regard, I want to record my appreciation of the work done by the steering and management committee, led by the city council's library services, which prepared the award-winning application. The compilation of the winning bid was truly a collaborative effort, and demonstrates what can be achieved when agencies pull together.

The designation as City of Literature is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities network. Dublin has now joined the select few within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, namely, Edinburgh, Iowa, and Melbourne. Dublin, as a UNESCO City of Literature, has enormous potential for beneficial cultural, tourism and economic impacts, not only in the capital city itself but also in communities across the country. A significant literary component was added to the recent culture night in Dublin, and funded by my Department to mark this magnificent achievement.

By providing a global platform for a city's local cultural assets, the Creative Cities Network is facilitating access to know-how, information and experiences to all member cities as a means to promote the development of local cultural industries and to foster member cities' worldwide recognition.

Dublin is currently known across the globe for its writers, from Behan to Stoker and from Doyle to Sheridan. It has been home, inspiration and subject to generations of the finest writers the world has known. My Department, and the tourism and cultural agencies under its aegis, will work with Dublin City Council to leverage as much cultural and economic benefit from this designation as we can.

At the announcement of the UNESCO designation at our newest theatre, the Grand Canal Theatre, we were able to present a world-class line-up of our Irish literary talent, including poets Thomas Kinsella and Theo Dorgan, in addition to novelists and award winners Joseph O'Connor, Cathy Kelly and Colm Tóibín, and our children's laureate, Siobhán Parkinson, to mention just a few.

Our literary reputation is not just something imaginary and part of the Dublin mist; it is vibrantly, visibly and abundantly all around us, and the City of Literature designation will allow us to showcase it to the world. With that in mind Culture Ireland is including a very significant literature component in its cultural programme for North America in 2011. I will be launching that programme next month in the United States and I have invited the director of the City of Literature organisation to join the trade mission supporting that launch. In addition, the tourism agencies are heavily promoting the designation. To date, the response internationally has been impressive.

My Department and the Arts Council are working closely with Dublin City Council on its programme to mark the designation in 2011 and a measure of co-funding will be made available by me to ensure we capitalise on this opportunity for our literary, cultural and business communities.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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As I mentioned previously, designation has been a major achievement for Dublin. As the Minister no doubt understands, we could lose the designation also. I am worried that our literary product in Dublin is rather dispersed. If one comes to Dublin looking for a literary experience, one must go to different places for it. The Yeats exhibition in the National Library of Ireland has been very successful but there is an exhibition on James Joyce that is not on display because there is no place to display it. It should be on display permanently.

If one considers all our successful writers since the time of Swift, one will realise that there is really nowhere to experience their work. The Irish Writers Centre has been very successful but it is receiving no funding from the Department or the Arts Council. Funding for literature amounts to only 4% of the Arts Council's funding, despite the fact that the Indecon report states the multiplier from literature is quite considerable.

I ask the Minister to consider seriously setting up a group, perhaps the group that won the designation, to consider making available a building, be it a museum or writers' centre, that would at once celebrate the achievements of past writers and encourage contemporary writers.

While Newman House on St. Stephen's Green is an option, another option is a building that has become iconic for the wrong reasons, namely the Anglo Irish Bank building, which I hope will be closed soon. It would be an ideal location and its use as a writers' centre would be positive.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate what the Deputy is saying about the importance of having permanent exhibitions. The Yeats exhibition is a great success. It would be desirable to have a location for a permanent Joyce exhibition. We can investigate that.

One reason Dublin was designated was that its literature was not confined to a museum or one location and was a living part of the of the city. That so many people in Dublin read literature is of note. When Seamus Heaney brings out a new collection of poetry, it goes immediately to number one. That does not happen in other countries. Dublin has many book clubs and children enjoy reading. That is part of what we do. The One City, One Book idea is a case in point. Next year, Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor will be chosen and this year A Picture of Dorian Gray was chosen. Designation was because literature, reading and writers are all over the city. I accept the Deputy's point on showcasing our Nobel laureates and all our other famous writers. I will certainly pursue that idea.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Designation presents a great opportunity for Dublin to promote our many literary geniuses. I take the opportunity to congratulate Emma Donoghue. Although Emma Donoghue is not based in Dublin, I congratulate her as she did extremely well to be placed on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize. That must be acknowledged.

The Minister stated the city's designation is being promoted on the Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland websites but when I looked at them I could not find a reference. Dublin Tourism has a very good reference to it. Perhaps I missed something. If not, it might be worth promoting it.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I did not say it was on the websites but that it was being promoted as part of tourism promotion. At various events and conferences, I and others have highlighted the fact that the City of Literature status is a means of attracting visitors. Dublin Tourism, which is part of the network of tourism agencies, is promoting the concept. I foresee great opportunities next year under Culture Ireland. Rather than just promoting Ireland through music, dance and the visual arts, we can include literature also.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister consider my proposal to identify a specific building? I realise City of Literature designation involves a bigger concept than this but having a central location is very important. The Anglo Irish Bank building would be ideal for such an initiative. What are the Minister's views on this?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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We can certainly discuss with the Director of the National Library of Ireland the possibility of having a more permanent Joyce exhibition in addition to the Yeats exhibition. It can also be discussed with the committee on which we are working.