Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. This is the second time in as many months that we have discussed this subject. I welcome the motion tabled by Senator Susan O'Keeffe on behalf of the Labour Party and I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate.

At €74 million, the level of Government funding for the Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2015 will be the same as in 2014. Given that there are so many demands on the Exchequer, the fact that the Government has maintained this level of funding is welcomed by those involved in the arts community. The Minister has just contributed €178,000 to the music capital scheme which will allow young musicians and music groups to purchase new equipment. I also note that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport recently announced a fund of €2 million for festivals in 2015. Included in this sum is €1 million for the St. Patrick's Day Festival, which is very welcome.

It is obvious that the Government recognises the significance of having a vibrant arts and culture sector. The arts play a very important role in communities and reach out to people from all walks of life, demonstrating a very strong sense of social inclusion. Participation in the arts and sport is particularly important for children as such participation improves self-confidence, interpersonal communication skills and self-esteem. Cultural events bring life to villages, towns and cities. Festivals and cultural events attract tourists from all over the world and boost the national economy enormously. Last year the Government supported approximately 120 festivals all over the country which employed almost 8,000 artists. These arts festivals contribute to the national economy, as well as to local communities, with beneficial knock-on effects for local businesses. The Galway Arts Festival, for example, contributed €21 million to the local economy in 2013. Cultural tourism, therefore, is a huge business.

The latest development of the east coast tourist trail from the north-east Boyne Valley all the way down to Wexford and Waterford is a living history project animating the culture and heritage of our country.

We are renowned all over the world for our culture and our artistic achievements, both past and present. Our famous writers and poets, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan - I do not know if the Minister saw the fascinating documentary about him on television the other night - Anne Enright, the late Maeve Binchy and John McGahern, to name a few, bring huge international respect and admiration to these shores. Last year, 13 writers were nominated for the Man Booker prize. Three of these were Irish - Colm Tóibín, Donal Ryan and my good friend in New York, Colum McCann. Two Irish writers - Niall Williams and Joseph O'Neill - made the list this year. That says something special about this wonderful country of ours. Irish artists are known and admired all over the world and our musical heritage is legendary too. From The Chieftains to my favourites, U2, Riverdance to the Abbey Theatre, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, young Saoirse Ronan - all were born, bred and produced right here on these shores. This is something of which we should be very proud.

The year 2016 will be an important year in Ireland, with the centenary commemorations of the 1916 Rising. We have spoken about this in this House already. This commemoration will provide us with a golden opportunity to attract huge, if not record, numbers of visitors from overseas, replicating the success of The Gathering. Approximately 3.6 million tourists come to Ireland for a cultural experience. This centenary celebration is an ideal platform to engage more with our diaspora and the over 60 million people throughout the world who proudly claim to be Irish or wish they were.

I commend Senator O'Keeffe as chair of the Yeats2015 initiative. We have spoken a number of times about this project. She and her committee have worked tirelessly to bring this project, and her vision to honour W.B. Yeats, to fruition. She deserves the support of Government, philanthropy and the corporate and community sectors. Yeats2015 will be a great celebration of W.B.'s work and the inspiration he has given and continues to give to this day. It is a unique opportunity to celebrate our former Senator and poet, one of the most influential figures of 20th century literature. Let us not forget that it is 92 years ago this week that W.B. Yeats was nominated to Seanad Éireann by the President of the Executive. We celebrate that fact this week. We should all work together and get everyone involved - our schools, communities and cultural institutions - to attract as many visitors from home and abroad to take part in Yeats2015.

I emphasise that on a global scale, the arts, culture and creative sectors play a major role in our economy and towards our international reputation. This can never be underestimated. Ireland must continue to make its presence felt through continued investment. From a social perspective, we want to encourage, educate, develop and produce here at home the next generation of artists who will follow in the shoes of W.B. Yeats and others aforementioned. I thank the Minister for her presence here today and wish her the best of luck.