Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is it not? The Senator can clarify the matter when she sums up, but it was brought to my attention today. Yeats had a huge connection with Galway where he wrote two collections of poetry, The Tower in 1928 and The Winding Stair in 1933.

On the broader motion, the arts in education charter is to be welcomed, but, as mentioned, the document needs more work. I always have problems with the notion that artists should work for free. When artists were given grants in the past, numerous Governments, not just this Administration, seemed to think they should also give classes in a school as part of the gig to justify the grant. They should be respected in their own right. I, therefore, question the notion of asking them to work free of charge in schools, as alluded to in the arts in education charter. The document should be redrafted annually and we should build on basic principles.

The Arts Act needs more work. The Minister has said she has spoken to county managers about introducing things to local areas, but local authorities should place greater emphasis on development of the arts. To do this they need more support and funding. I know that in my area the small amount received is stretched far and that incredible work is done. I understand arts funding in Galway County Council and Galway City Council has been cut every year for the past six years and that they have found it difficult to continue. Better recognition of the work of local authorities is required such as the fact that they manage, support and run venues. They need more funding to support local artists.

The festivals mentioned are extremely important to local communities because they attract people to an area and ensure it has a vibrant, expressive nature. However, the arts have been commodified and annexed by tourism, to an extent, because it seems as though everything is measured by the number of hotel rooms filled as a result. The celebration of arts at a local level is a celebration of creativity and bringing people together; therefore, the communal nature of art should be recognised in its own right, without excuses and justifications. It is important that there be an economic impact, but we should not have to justify artistic activities in these terms. More support should be given to festivals, nationally and locally.

The engagement of young people, especially those between 17 and 23 years of age, is very important because we often hear them complain about having nowhere to go. The pub is usually the only option, even for those involved in music. The music generation initiative was very good and sponsored by a number of vocational education committees, VECs. Apparently, some of the projects that could have applied for funding through that initiative which sought to promote music do not have a funding organisation behind them and I call on the Minister to examine this issue. Can support be given to music generation projects that are coming to an end? They may fall by the wayside because they are not supported locally by a VEC.

Poets, artists and dreamers are central to the commemorations, but I am not sure whether a major art work has been commissioned for 2016. It is important that the Government recognise this and consider commissioning an artwork such as a statue to commemorate past events. I agree that arts policy must be developed in collaboration with other Departments. The Department of Health does a lot of work with older people and those in certain residential settings and there could be scope for important collaboration in this regard. Education and the arts go hand in hand and work can be done on this aspect. From a social inclusion perspective, the Department of Justice and Equality could engage with the arts. There are such collaborations and it is important that they continue. Perhaps each Department might have a policy on how to engage with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on the development of the arts. Fáiltím roimh an rún atá os ár gcomhair anocht agus fáiltím roimh an dul chun cinn atá á dhéanamh agus an ceiliúradh atá á dhéanamh ar ár gcuid ealaíontóirí. Ná déanfaimís dearmad ar na healaíona as Gaeilge chomh maith.