Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. As President Higgins pointed out earlier this year, the contribution of women to Irish history has not been adequately recognised by the State. One area in which this is very evident is the lack of commemorative public works of art to acknowledge the role women played in securing our independence and building the modern Irish State. In fact, of 34 statues of people in Dublin city, only four are of women and there are just a handful of sculptures scattered throughout the city. These commemorative structures and the fact that women are so vastly under-represented among them reinforce the bias towards men and their narratives in our history.

In the run-up to the 1916 centenary celebrations it is important that we reflect fairly on Irish history. It presents us with an opportunity re-evaluate the significant roles played by various people, male and female, who have not been given sufficient recognition to date.

This gives an opportunity to redress the balance in our public works of art towards women and acknowledge the role played by women in bringing about the Ireland of today. I welcome the recent naming of the new bridge over the Liffey after Rosie Hackett but there is still a long way to go.

I understand the Government is planning a number of commemorative projects for the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. How were these projects selected? Was there a public call for the inclusion of certain works of art? Do any of the projects selected recognise the contribution of women to that period in our history? I know the Minister has received a proposal from Stuart Dunne relating to a sculpture of Molly O'Reilly. She was a young girl when she raised the flag of the Irish Republic and the proposed sculpture is to be a life-size statue depicting her in the act of doing so. This is symbolic of the role played by women throughout the period. I have written to the Minister on a number of occasions on this matter and I asked my colleague, Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl, to table a parliamentary question on the issue in the Dáil. The reply he received said the Minister could not commission additional sculptures as part of the centenary commemorations because he had already completed the selection of artworks. Will the Minister reconsider his position on this? The sculpture of Molly O'Reilly is a worthwhile piece of art and most of the work on it is already done. It would be nice to see it displayed in Dublin. How many of the projects chosen by the Minister recognise the contribution of women to Irish independence?