Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

--- Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, U2, Daniel Day Lewis, Riverdance, the Chieftains, the Blarney stone, the Cliffs of Moher are all world famous. Our sports people are also artists in their own way. When one sees Rory McIlroy striking a golf ball on the international stage one must admit that is an art too. Irish culture and art is respected all over the world.

I lived in the United States for more than 20 years and studied at Villanova University in Philadelphia, where Irish history, culture and arts were embedded in the curriculum. The late Seamus Heaney, for example, lectured in Villanova University on numerous occasions and Senator Mac Conghail is currently collaborating with that same university. While I was in the United States I worked with Bord Fáilte, along with Senator Norris, promoting Irish arts, culture and heritage and I fully appreciate how important they are for tourism here. The Irish diaspora in the United States promote Irish festivals which have attracted millions of people over many years. They are tremendously proud and fond of Ireland and all that is Irish. We could not buy such support.

In these days of economic difficulty, however, we cannot take our eye off the ball. We must continue to invest and explore new opportunities for Irish arts and culture. The core policy goal of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is to enhance access and to recognise the social and economic role of the arts, culture and film sectors in Ireland by promoting and encouraging artistic expression, cultural awareness and participation through an appropriate policy, legislative and resource framework and to provide capital infrastructure for the national cultural institutions. Since 2011, €580 million has been invested in the arts and cultural institutions and in the Irish Film Board. A portion of this funding is distributed by the Arts Council which is doing amazing work all over the country. Last year alone, the council supported approximately 120 small arts festivals in towns and villages all over Ireland where more than 7,900 artists were employed, not to mention technicians and crew members. These arts festivals contribute enormously to local communities, boosting business for hotels, bars and restaurants as well as transport providers. The Galway Arts Festival, for example, contributed €21 million to the local economy last year.

The Government recognises the importance of having a vibrant arts and cultural sector. The contribution of the artistic, cultural and creative industries to our society and our economy cannot be underestimated. They are a major sector of our economy, in terms of their contribution to GNP and employment generation. Culture-related tourism is big business which should not be underestimated. Indeed, it is a key element of our overall tourist product. The arts play an important role in our communities and reach people from all walks of life. They are an important contributor to social inclusion. Participation in the arts by children improves their self confidence, interpersonal communication skills and self esteem.

In the programme for Government agreed in March 2011, Fine Gael committed to the development of Ireland's first national cultural policy. This year the Government approved plans to begin drafting that policy, entitled Culture 2025, which will set out our high-level aims and policies in the cultural arena up to 2025. It will be the first comprehensive cultural policy to emerge from Government in several decades.

The Arts Council also undertook a major review of its operations this year to address how it plans, partners, promotes and provides for the arts. The review is rooted in realism, is harnessing the views of the arts sector, partners and stakeholders and is informed by comparative experience at home and abroad. The council is confident that this review will yield long-term benefits for the arts.

As part of the Government's reform plan, it is intended to reduce the size of a number of boards under the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on a permanent basis. Legislation is needed to give statutory effect to this change and it expected that such legislation will be published late in 2015. The heads of the Bill are currently being considered by the relevant Oireachtas committee.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that on a global scale the arts, culture and creative sectors are expected to become a significantly greater part of the international economy in the future. Ireland must make its presence felt if it is to become a competitive leader in this area in the future. More important, from a social perspective, we must encourage, educate and develop the next generation of artists to follow in the footsteps of ---