Results 101-120 of 602 for speaker:Fiach MacConghail

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: -----in making a symbolic, vacuous statement, yet I am here, on behalf of the arts community, trying to see if there is any good news story in the increase of €4 million in funding for the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht. It might sound churlish but I cannot welcome this €4 million increase as an indication of the Government's support for the arts. In fact, this...

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: -----is in paralysis around how to approach the commemoration. Despite this, €4 million has been aside for it with no increase in funding for the Arts Council, Culture Ireland or the national cultural institutions. The arts have been savagely and disproportionately cut over the past seven years to the tune of 37%, yet we have been told to wait our turn. We are waiting. Artists of...

Seanad: Arts and Culture Sector: Motion (8 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: It is free to visit the museum. The Senator should get his facts right.

Seanad: Arts and Culture Sector: Motion (8 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I welcome the Minister. As she has had a tough start, I will not get involved in the party politics of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. She is listening and, in that spirit, I have some constructive criticisms and arguments to make about what has been mentioned. She should take it in the spirit it is intended in the sense that we are all trying to move forward. I will deal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: (Resumed) RTE (2 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: We did not fully tease out the National Concert Hall's view of that and we should clarify it. Members of the committee have a serious concern regarding the sweeping powers of the Minister to direct policy at the hall and on the board, particularly under head 9: "The Minister may give general policy directions in writing to the Hall/Board in relation to the performance of the functions of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: (Resumed) RTE (2 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I am glad to hear what Mr. O’Kane has said. From the committee’s point of view, however, the Minister of the day could conceivably issue a policy direction to RTE and its contractual relationship with the National Concert Hall and claim that it does not concern artistic or curatorial but rather commercial arrangements. That is something we should tease out in our final report.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: (Resumed) RTE (2 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I thank the Chairman for allowing me to jump the queue of speakers. I welcome all three witnesses and thank Mr. O'Kane for his opening statement. To put on the record, I am the director of the Abbey Theatre, which receives funding from the Arts Council. The Abbey Theatre sits on the Council of National Cultural Institutions and therefore I share a particular room with the director of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: (Resumed) RTE (2 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: Would be fair to say, although Mr. O'Kane does not use this word and I do not wish to put words in his mouth, that he would like the involvement of the RTE performing groups to be strengthened in the proposed legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: (Resumed) RTE (2 Oct 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: We did not get a copy of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: Is there more opportunity to discuss with the Department how this might consolidate the artistic and business management independence? The Arts Council is different because it is a development agency and the National Concert Hall is not such an agency. In a sense, the hall is producing an art product and commissioning art work. As someone who has worked on both sides, including for a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: But I refer to section 9.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: In the spirit of what was said, and because of all the other questions around ministerial powers, it might be necessary to examine how the arm’s length principle regarding the performance of the director might be enshrined in legislation, which clarifies the role of the Minister. We know that a way could be found by which that might be exposed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I thank Mr. Ó Donnchú. Certainly when it comes to the Arts Council, one can see why a Minister would give direction, because the Arts Council is a policy organisation whereas the National Concert Hall is not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: That is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: Could I interject on one point, a Chathaoirligh, because it is important, as we are discussing the general scheme? It might be appropriate for us to consider whether the chair of the board might also have an input into the skills matrix, because he or she would have a sense of the skills that might be required where there are vacancies to fill.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: It does say that the director shall be the “accountable person”.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: Does that answer the question about not being critical of any Government policy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2014: Discussion (30 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I thank all the witnesses who have attended. I wish to note at the outset and put on the record that I was appointed Senator as a nominee of the Taoiseach, I presume on the basis that I have some interest in and experience of the arts world. I also want to put on record that I am director of the Abbey Theatre, which is a national cultural institution, and I am a member of the council of...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Sep 2014)

Fiach MacConghail: I would like to invite the Minister to have a broad debate about national cultural policy and begin the process of developing a national cultural policy by Easter 2016, including provisions on how to enhance, strengthen and protect the independence of the national cultural institutions.