Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is my first time in the Seanad since the death of Brian Farrell, whose passing I acknowledge. He is someone we grew up with as a nation. Talking about commemoration and solemn occasions, Brian's voice on radio and television is an important one we remember. I knew him personally as he and my father soldiered together in the early days of "7 Days" many years ago. I extend my condolences to Marie-Thérèse, David, Theo and the rest of the family.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome last night's announcement and the end of the anxiety and paralysis around the fact that a kind of third secret of Fatima was still to be released. It was released last night in the GPO. I welcome and acknowledge it. It allows us finally to have a more open and trusting conversation and discussion. The Taoiseach's speech was one of the best he has given. There were many things in it that gave me confidence and will give the Government the self-confidence to realise that there will be diverse views.

We have all spoken in the past about the decade of commemorations, but I refer today only to the 1916 Easter Rising. That is not in any way to disassociate any other centenaries, including that of the Battle of the Somme. I am not ignoring such centenaries, but rather focusing today on the Easter Rising.

I welcome the fact that a self confidence appears to be emerging from the Government to the effect that it cannot, will not and should not control the agenda of the centenary. In that sense, the most important document released last night was the initial statement by the advisory group on centenary commemorations. It represents a very useful guiding principle as we approach the commemorations. The document talks about the fact that we should not simply consider the uprising in its national context but rather look at in a global context. What else was occurring around the world? We know the famous Sykes-Picot line was being drawn in the Middle East which has ended up being the cause of a great deal of concern there today. Among the interesting points in the document was the statement that the State should not be expected to be neutral about its own existence. While we must be inclusive and non-partisan, we should acknowledge the outcome of the revolution and not be neutral about it. We should have the self-confidence to talk about 1916 in a way that is proud without being divisive. There is a fine line there but up to now the Government has been anxious about it.

From what I heard last night and what I hear from the Minister today, clarity and self-confidence are growing. The advisory group document included a lovely phrase to the effect that we should be conscious that on this island we have a common history but not a common memory. All those memories are justified, which is where art is important whether it is "The Plough and the Stars" or "A Long Long Way" by Sebastian Barry. Memory and contested memory are important as is fiction in commemorating and acknowledging history. This is about how we as citizens find an imaginative expression of how we deal with the past to understand the present and look to the future.

It appears there is a sense of release and that the Government understands it cannot control the process and should not worry about other parties claiming authority over 1916 as, in a way, is about all of us in the community. I welcome that and the permission the Government has given itself to continue an exploration not only of the 1916 Rising but what happened in the following 100 years. Of course, there will be a great deal of criticism and self-analysis regarding what we have achieved as a nation over that period. While a great deal of it will be seen as negative, we should be comfortable in acknowledging that. The Minister and the Tánaiste spoke last night about the sudden removal of women from the history of Ireland and 1916 and the whitewashing of women in the 1920s through poverty and censorship. We should accept and acknowledge that while trying to change things and move on.

On that basis as well, the fact that the Minister is seeking community and young people's involvement, along with the national cultural institutions, is paramount. In case there is a perception of a conflict of interest, I run the Abbey Theatre, the national theatre of Ireland. It will be involved in many types of commemoration and we are engaging with the Department in that regard and, indeed, seeking funding from the Department. I should make that clear so there is no sense of a conflict of interest.
We have learned from the Limerick City of Culture 2014 and other events. The Minister has formed a 2016 project team. Mr. John Concannon is in charge of it. That is important. There is a very short lead-in period of 14 months. The €4 million, although important, is quite a small amount of money if it is to be shared across all the national cultural institutions. There is no need to remind the Minister that the National Museum, the National Library and the National Archives are on their knees in terms of current funding. One of the legacies of commemoration should be to try to increase their funding and enhance their standing, self-worth and self-respect and to encourage them to grow over the next couple of years.
I have a number of questions for the Minister. How long will the consultation period last? Are people invited to make submissions to the Department or the project team? When will that decision be made? Will there be more than €4 million and another budget allocation next year? The €4 million will be used up very quickly. The Minister mentioned that one of her priorities is a national culture policy. How will that fit in? It will be an important legacy for her. She mentioned in the House previously that she would hold a wide consultation on a national culture policy and that she wished to publish it as a part of her legacy in 2016. Will that be part of the overall event?
Finally, we should not be afraid of criticising and reviewing the impact of 1916 in both a positive and a negative way. The best way to do that is through contemporary artists. One of the greatest critiques of 1916 is one of the greatest plays in the Irish canon, The Plough and the Stars, which was written ten years after 1916. That play not only acknowledged the negative and positive impacts of 1916 but also celebrated the anti-heroes, the role of women and that of marginalised communities. It is through art and contemporary art that we will understand in a better way how we might live and work. Working with young people, particularly in the way the Minister mentioned yesterday, is a way forward. Let us not be afraid of fiction, art or the unknown in acknowledging the Easter Rising of 1916.