Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, in view of the continuing success of the culture night initiative, if she has given consideration to holding a second culture night each spring, in order to generate further interest in our cultural offerings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36687/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Culture Night 2010 took place on the 24th of September last in 20 locations throughout the country, with some 500 cultural venues remaining open until late in the evening to provide the public with free access to the various collections, workshops and other events. Culture Night has grown from a relatively small scale cultural event staged only in Dublin in 2006 to the significant national cultural event it now is, attracting over 200,000 visitors in 2009 and even greater attendance figures are expected from the 2010 event.

Temple Bar Cultural Trust co-ordinates the Dublin Culture Night event in association with the Council of National Cultural Institutions, Temple Bar Cultural Quarter, Dublin City Council, art and cultural institutions and other agencies. My Department has provided funding to the Trust for the event since 2006 and in 2008, requested the Trust to consider an expansion of the Culture Night model to cities and towns outside of Dublin. The success of this matched funding initiative in 2008 led to my Department agreeing to fund further expansions in 2009 and 2010. This year's was the most extensive Culture Night to date, with locations from Cork to Donegal and Galway to Wexford participating, including Gaeltacht regions for the first time ever. In addition, the Dublin event included a specific programme of events, celebrating the designation of Dublin as UNESCO City of Literature.

Discussions are ongoing as to the most appropriate way to build on the success and popularity of Culture Night. You will appreciate that these discussions must have regard to the resources available to my Department and to the many competing demands on these resources. St. Patrick's Festival, also part-funded by Fáilte Ireland through my Department's allocation, is, of course, the primary cultural festival during the Spring. There is a clear logic to the St. Patrick's Festival and Culture Night activities being currently positioned at the beginning and end of our main tourism season.