Brendan Griffin
Question:230. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10100/19]
View answerThursday, 28 February 2019
Questions (230)
Written answers
As the Minister with responsibility for leading the Decade of Centenaries commemorative programme, my priority is to ensure that the Government's approach to the remembrance of the significant historical events and related themes of the period from 1919 to 1923 is appropriate, measured, respectful, inclusive and sensitive to the different perspectives that persist on the events of this period.
The role of women will be a significant theme of the commemorative programme. As you will be aware, 2018 marked the centenary of a new era for women with the passage of the Representation of the People Act and the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act . On the centenary of passage of the former last February, I launched a State programme to commemorate these significant legislative changes. The changes came from years of agitation by the suffrage movement and from the significant social change across Britain and Ireland that arose during World War One. My Department supported a number of initiatives during the year under the commemorative programme.
On 21 November last, I announced the Markievicz bursaries initiative to assist artists to produce new work that reflects on the role of women in the period covered by the centenary commemorations and beyond. Awards will be made to up to five artists/writers under the scheme each year (2019-2023) to a value of €20,000 per individual or group. The Arts Council is administering the bursaries on behalf of my Department and will begin accepting on-line applications from artists shortly under the initiative.
In bringing forward plans to mark the significant historical events that took place between 1919 - 1923, my approach will continue to be informed and supported by the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations and developed in consultation with the All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations.
It is, I believe, very fitting that local authorities have a leading role in supporting inclusive, respectful and meaningful community-led commemorations, augmented as appropriate with support from the State, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
In recognition of the very important role that local authorities have played to date, and will continue to have, in encouraging measured and authentic citizen engagement which is sensitive to the local context, I have requested my officials to organise a special Decade of Centenaries forum for the local authorities, to take place on 13th March.
While the overall commemorative programme for the period, comprised of the measures set out above, will be subject to further development, there is at present no funding available from my Department for the purpose in question.
End of Take