Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, on our first day back to discuss this national cultural institutions Bill. Today has seen the highest ever number of nominations for Irish artists and films at the Oscars. It is an incredible feat and we are very proud of it. We are proud of "An Cailín Ciúin" and "The Banshees of Inisherin". "The Banshees of Inisherin" showcases the most stunning landscapes. Coming from the west I will speak proudly about it. It features Inis Mór on the Aran Islands and Achill Island in Mayo. It looks amazing. It is a film that is comic and dark at turns but the landscape at each and every turn takes our breath away. As part of her remit, the Minister is looking at how to encourage tourism in Ireland. One of the elements she is looking at is a global invitation programme. Given that Ireland is now on the world stage at the Oscars, with our language, culture and landscape, it is time to make an impact with tourism.

The National Concert Hall is a place much loved by people all over the country. For years, I worked just off Baggot Street in Dublin. I used my lunch hour to try to fit it all in and see some of the lunchtime events at the National Concert Hall. For a very competitively priced ticket of €5 or €10, I could see a symphony orchestra. I was able to come out of my day of work at lunch hour and sit down and see 40 to 50 people play music just for me - and for everyone else who was there. Over the past 20 years that I have known it, the National Concert Hall has gone out of its way to make music accessible. Whether it is Debussy, Ravel or Sibelius, or whether it is discovering the joy of Tchaikovsky in full symphonic flow, this is what the National Concert Hall is for. It is an absolute jewel that we have in Ireland. I appreciate what is done to make it accessible.

I would like to ask the Minister about apprenticeships and how people might be able to get involved. There are music partnerships, including Music Generation, in the local authorities in Galway and Roscommon. There are ways in which children get to learn about music. There is an amazing town band in Ballinasloe. Phenomenal people have come from our town, including Eímear Noone who went on to be a female composer at national and global level. Music is very important.

I acknowledge that the Bill will bring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Cór na nÓg and RTÉ Cór Linn from RTÉ to the National Concert Hall and I will appreciate seeing them come together. I want to ask about increasing the size of the board by just one member. Is this sufficient? Will board members have enough wherewithal to manage four different groups considering the amount of work they do already?

I thank the Minister. I am looking forward to this development. The National Concert Hall is not just about classical music. Coming up very shortly is "Radiohead, A Jazz Symphony". All I can say is that I am really looking forward to it. I thank the Minister and I look forward to discussing the other Stages of the Bill.