I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 408 together.
Funding of €2.7 million was provided by my Department for the delivery of Culture Connects - the Culture Programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I am pleased to report on a very successful outcome of the Culture Connects Programme. Over the six months of the Presidency, approximately 1,000 events were presented throughout Ireland, across the European Union and the world.
The National and International elements of this Programme were designed to:
i. showcase Irish culture across Europe;
ii. highlight European culture in Ireland; and
iii. illustrate the shared nature of much of our cultural experiences.
Throughout the Presidency, the Culture Programme was strongly promoted by my Department with:
- a dedicated microsite which was regularly updated;
- the calendar of events was included in the main EU Presidency website;
- regular updates on Twitter and Facebook;
- collaboration with the Embassy Network across the EU to ensure promotion and integration with other Irish agencies;
- the commissioning of a DVD which was uploaded to the YouTube as well as the EU Presidency website.
The programme consisted of international and domestic strands. The international strand of Ireland's Culture Programme was delivered by my Department's Culture Ireland Division at a cost of €1.55 million. Culture Connects was successful in projecting a strong, positive image of Ireland to audiences within the EU and beyond. It demonstrated the wealth of our historic cultural engagement with Europe and also our world-class contemporary artistic strengths. with a tightly focused programme of events with special strategic engagement with key EU partners particularly Germany, France and Brussels.
Under the international strand, my Department supported:
- 420 separate events, exhibitions and performances;
- Activity in all 26 EU Member States; and
- Activity in 11 other key territories as part of the International Culture Programme – Australia, Bosnia, Serbia, China, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Australia and Hong Kong.
Highlights of the International Strand of the Culture Programme included
- the opening concert in Brussels by The Gloaming;
- the Irish Chamber Orchestra's performance in Berlin;
- the Eileen Gray exhibition in Centre Pompidou, Paris; and
- the Changing States exhibition of Frances Bacon and contemporary artists in the Bozar Gallery in Brussels.
Audience attendance was strong and feedback and media coverage on Ireland’s Culture Programme is very positive. For instance, the Centre Pompidou attracted approx 500,000 visitors to the Eileen Gray exhibition.
There was also a high concentration of cultural events over the course of the St. Patrick’s weekend, with 25 events funded in places as diverse as Moscow, Beijing and Croatia.
The Domestic Strand
The domestic strand was allocated €1.15 million. Of this €800,000 was dispersed through the Arts Council to support events throughout Ireland, with the balance going to the RHA, the National Cultural Institutions, and the Office of Public Works, inter alia, the domestic strand comprised the following:
- The National Gallery of Ireland exhibited its European works including Degas and Gainsborough at the "Treasured Sheets" exhibition. By end June, it had attracted over 350,000 visitors;
- A Bloomsday exhibition by the National Library which included participation in the Global reading of "Ulysses";
- In a series of concerts, the National Concert Hall, celebrated the work of seventeen European composers;
- An exhibition by the National Archives celebrating Irelands' 40 years membership of the European Union was on display in Collins Barracks and is touring throughout the country for the remainder of 2013.
- The, Irish Museum of Modern Art in association with the Crawford Gallery in Cork curated an exhibition entitled Analysing Cubism.
- The OPW, in collaboration with Embassies and various cultural organisations throughout Europe, curated the Kaleidoscope exhibition at Farmleigh which is a selection of contemporary art works from all the Member States of the Union;
- An international conference entitled Eminent Europeans of Irish Origin at the Royal Irish Academy ;
- An number of exhibition in the Royal Hibernian Academy including works by Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke;
- The inaugural World Actors Forum centred in the Gate Theatre. This also fulfilled a commitment arising from the Global Irish Economic Forum;
- An EU focused screen writing event, a co-production forum and a festival delivered by the Irish Film Board;
- A Programme delivered by the Arts Council.
The Arts Council worked with the network of local arts officers and delivered a five-strand programme
- Local Arts Europe; Festivals; Traditional Arts; Young Creatives; and Partners for Imagination.
Across the 28 city and county areas, the Arts Council element of the Culture Programme delivered a total of 509 events through the efforts and work of 92 organisations.
I have arranged for copies of the Culture Connects Brochures for both the Domestic and International strands of the Culture Programme to be placed in the Oireachtas Library for the use of Members.
