Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

I do not think so. There will be consultation, whether that means publishing something or not. There will obviously be further consultation, and that is only fair. I have been informed by my officials that intensive and extensive consultation has already taken place with the cultural institutions. A very good proposal was received in the Department from the galleries and yesterday a proposal came from the chairman of the National Library, for example, with suggestions for a good way forward. All of these will be considered.

It is also worth mentioning that, unusually, a large number of vacancies have arisen for directors of the national cultural institutions. The director of the National Library has served part of her contract term but she is relatively new. There are new directors of the National Gallery, IMMA, the Chester Beatty Library and the National Concert Hall. There are a number of new directors. The director of the National Museum availed of the early retirement offer and there is now an acting director in place. That is going through the normal process and somebody will be appointed to the position as soon as possible. The same applies to the National Archives.

Culture Ireland is not a national cultural institution. There was a proposal some time ago that it would be, but it was decided in 2008 that this would not be the case. It is within the Department. A chief executive from outside the public service was appointed at that time. The person was on contract for a number of years, but that contract ceased. That person did a very good job but if the contract was renewed it would have to be a permanent position. That could not be done because of the complexity of our employment law. It is unfortunate because, coming up to the Presidency, he could have played a critical role, having built up such a reservoir of contacts all over the world, in Europe and in the US. However, that is employment law.

The position is now being advertised internally. Some very good people are working in Culture Ireland and are familiar with the range of contacts the previous CEO had. I am sure they could operate very well in the position, which runs for 15 months from 2 July. After that, it will be re-advertised. The urgency is that Culture Ireland will play a critical role in our upcoming Presidency. No decisions have been made and the discussion in the debate will further inform matters. When a decision is made, it will be taken at Cabinet and there will be further consultation with the national cultural institutions. I hope that whatever happens helps the cultural institutions improve their present functions rather than being a negative force.

Senator Ó Murchú mentioned community involvement. We are writing to all national community groups in the country to come up with proposals. We will have a forum featuring those groups in September to make proposals for the centenary of commemorations. I agree with his point that we will have national commemorations but commemoration at local level is also important. I was delighted to turned the sod for the Thomas McDonagh centre in Cloughjordan. I saw the whole community, of all political persuasions, come together in an effort to have the centre open before 2016.

Senator Noone referred to cultural institutions and Clontarf. We are in contact with the national cultural institutions. Dublin City Council has major plans for Clontarf and other local authorities also have plans. Advanced proposals for the Killaloe commemorations are being led by Mr. Keith Woods. They have connected well with the Nordic countries and come up with exciting proposals. There will be a programme for Clontarf and, as I pointed out to Deputy McGrath, Clontarf was more of a battle between Munster and Leinster than between Munster and the Norsemen. On the opposite side to Brian Ború were 4,000 Leinster men and 3,000 Norsemen. There were more Leinster men than Norsemen. Sometimes, it is portrayed as driving the Norsemen out of Ireland but, while it affected their influence here, it was not just Ireland against the Norsemen. A commemoration with proper historical backup and evidence could shed new light on Clontarf.

I agree with Senators McAleese and Ó Murchú that consultation and care will ensure our commemorations can address the sensitive issues in our history. I recognise the contribution made by Senator McAleese to the process. During his wife's presidency, he was working behind the scenes building bridges across communities North and South, which was the vision of his wife when she was President. He succeeded in getting communities into the Áras and speaking to people who never had contact with leaders in this country. The all-party Oireachtas committee met the Unionist Centenary Council, led by Mr. Stephen Gough, and a cross-community group chaired by Dr. Ian Adamson, another individual making major efforts to get both communities working together. He is a former mayor and high sheriff of Belfast. He was with Mr. Jackie McDonald from the UDA, Mr. George Newell, and the republican Mr. Seán Murray. He brought these people to the committee and we had a positive engagement. I recognise the work of Senator McAleese to bring both communities together in Northern Ireland and to connect us with those communities, especially the Unionist community.

Senator Bacik raised the role of women in revolutionary activity, the transformative effect of the suffragettes and electoral reform. When Churchill came to Belfast, he was not allowed into Belfast City Hall. He went to a church to make his presentation and one of the voices of protest was a suffragette. There is a celebrated photograph of Carson when he came to Dublin and a woman in the photograph is a suffragette. The suffragette movement played a major role in the home rule movement. It is important the movement is recognised. The matter was raised in the Dáil recently by Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, who spoke to a number of experts in this area. I advised her that we will have an event and perhaps Senator Bacik can advise us on it.