Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 April 2013
50. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which he has availed of The Gathering as a vehicle for the encouragement, promotion and development of the arts here and Irish arts and culture worldwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19239/13]
View answer130. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if any particular emphasis has been placed on offering assistance towards local based community groups involved in various productions associated with The Gathering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19703/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 130 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, The Gathering initiative undertaken by my colleague, Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, has the support of my Department and the agencies under my Department's remit.
A range of actions being taken to support The Gathering were outlined in my replies to Questions No. 117 and 120 of 13 March 2013, No. 13 of 30 January 2013 and Question No 16 of 28 November 2012.
The national cultural institutions under the auspices of my Department have prepared a comprehensive response to The Gathering. As outlined previously, the Arts Council is playing an ongoing key role in funding and developing arts events around the country during 2013. In terms of the Gaeltacht, Údarás na Gaeltachta has a dedicated scheme to support traditional festivals in the Gaeltacht and this year placed particular emphasis on activities aimed at attracting visitors to Ireland as part of The Gathering. Tourists arriving as part of The Gathering, particularly those from amongst the 70 million people abroad who claim Irish ancestry, will be particularly interested in heritage sites.
Culture Ireland operates as part of my Department, promoting Irish arts worldwide. For 2013 Culture Ireland has worked with Irish artists to promote The Gathering, while highlighting the excellence of Irish arts and creativity. It was a condition of funding imposed by my Department's Culture Ireland Division that all artists travelling abroad this year encourage their audiences to embrace The Gathering initiative.
I am committed to availing of every possible opportunity to project a positive global image for Ireland and am particularly conscious in the context of 2013 being the year of The Gathering initiative. In summary, therefore, I consider that a substantial contribution to The Gathering is underway in both the cultural and heritage areas.
