Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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152. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the degree to which she expects to be in a position to promote the economic interest of Ireland through cultural activity with particular reference to tourism and education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37668/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In line with Government's Global Ireland 2025 initiative, Ireland aims to share our culture more widely and deepen our global links. Through the promotion of Irish arts and culture to new audiences and new generations it is proposed to increase awareness of Ireland’s creative strengths and valued heritage and thereby encourage visitors to Ireland for tourism, education and business purposes.

Culture Ireland supports Irish artists performing internationally. Despite the challenges this year Culture Ireland advanced several innovations to promote Irish arts and culture through online events such as Ireland Performs, where 120 artists presented individual events from their locality and reached a global  audience of almost 1 million.  

Culture Ireland continues to showcase Irish artists to international promoters with the aim of creating future touring for Irish artists. This included Ireland Music Week with 50 rock/indie bands and Dublin Fringe Festival, as well as the virtual presentation of Irish artists at Philadelphia Folk Festival, for example, which included Tourism Ireland films promoting Ireland as a holiday destination to the festival audience .

Through Culture Ireland my Department continues to support a programme of Irish artists at key cultural centres globally, maintaining links with the diaspora and key tourism and business interests.

The Music Industry Stimulus Package I established in July will help artists and workers in the music industry to create, record and promote new work and allow them continue to connect with global audiences through recordings until a physical presence of Irish artists is again possible globally.

It is for our artists and strong creativity that Ireland is known on the world stage and this brings many benefits to our country. Tourism Ireland and the IDA as well as the Arts Council and Screen Ireland are represented on the Expert Advisory Committee of Culture Ireland and this cross agency representation ensures that all can work together to achieve the aims of Global Ireland 2025. 

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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153. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the degree to which interest in the arts and Irish culture can be generated through the electronic social media; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37669/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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My Department is actively using electronic social media, alongside traditional print and broadcast media, to raise awareness and interest amongst the public in the arts and Irish culture. My Department’s Twitter feed has 12,500 followers, the Facebook page has 8,250 followers and 6,800 people follow my Department’s activities on Instagram.

The stories and content broadcast daily across these electronic social media platforms are all devised and delivered by my officials, who regularly collaborate with Cultural Institutions, Festivals, Events, artists and schemes to ensure a steady stream of engaging, colourful and relevant stories, photography and short-form video for public presentation across the social media platforms.

My officials also regularly create social media content in Irish, and about life, sports and culture in the Gaeltacht.

The public response to this activity has been strong, and followers and engagement levels continue to grow across my Department’s platforms.

In addition, Culture Ireland, a division of my Department, is charged with promoting Irish arts worldwide, creating and supporting opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work at strategic international festivals and venues. In 2020, in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, it has supported the presentation of outstanding Irish work to international audiences, through online showcases at key global arts events, promoted through social media. There is also wide ranging use of social media by bodies under the aegis of the Department to host and promote Irish arts and culture events to a global audience.

Earlier this year, in direct response to the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural sector, my Department harnessed the reach of electronic social media to deliver an innovative approach to ensuring that citizens could continue to access arts and Irish culture, despite curtailments on audiences and gatherings, and also to ensure that artists could still connect with their audiences in Ireland and around the world.

The Cultural programme developed included:

Ireland Performs :  A partnership with Facebook: 120 live online performances by Irish artists from their homes, supported by Culture Ireland. This attracted a global audience of 821,000 people over the six weeks of its run.

Courage programme:A series of live concerts (online and RTÉ) broadcast from a number of National Cultural Institutions, and other landmark venues, delivered by Other Voices with support from my Department. The series reached 2,700,000 people worldwide.

The Hot Press Lockdown Young and Emerging Series supported young and emerging acts joining Hot Press on Instagram for a special live performances.

In addition in 2020, as a response to the impact of the pandemic of arts and culture, my Department’s Creative Irelandprogramme used online and social media to:

(i) pivot Cruinniú na nÓg 2020, the annual national day of free creativity for young people, to online delivery, straight into families’ homes

(ii) support the national #ShineYourLightinitiative to support frontline healthcare workers

(iii) develop and implement the #createathome initiative for the general public

(iv) establish the Positive Ageing and Creative Well-being Schemeto support older members of society

Electronic social media is a very useful channel through which my Department generates interest amongst the general public in arts and Irish culture. It is now in everyday use by my officials, and my Department will continue to work in collaboration with the sector and use its social media channels to further build on this.