Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 February 2019
2. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the planned permanent or capital projects that will be undertaken as part of the decade of centenaries commemorations for the period 2019 to 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8854/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe reason for this question is that we are in a centenary commemoration period. In the run-up to the centenary commemoration of 1916, a number of capital projects were announced. They were completed in the years running up to 2016. What are the plans for permanent capital projects for the forthcoming period?
A capital programme of major restoration and development projects was initiated under the Ireland 2016 centenary programme to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising. The most recent guidance of the expert advisory group on centenary commemorations, which I published on 8 January, highlighted the fact that the decade of centenaries created unprecedented opportunities for people of all ages to consider and explore some of the most significant events and themes in the history of modem Ireland. The group recommended that this positive engagement and the associated tangible, long-term benefits continue to be supported beyond the conclusion of the decade in 2023 and that State support be considered for specific, significant decade of centenaries permanent legacy initiatives. This is a view that I very much share.
One such legacy initiative is Beyond 2022: Ireland's Virtual Record Treasury, which the expert advisory group has endorsed as a potentially very significant and lasting decade of centenaries legacy initiative, combining historical research, archival conservation, technical innovation and international collaboration. This project seeks to reimagine and recreate, through virtual reality, the Public Record Office of Ireland and its archival collections, which the Deputy may know were destroyed on 30 June 1922 in the opening engagement of the Civil War. It is recognised that, while incomparable with the loss of human life, this cultural loss was one of the great tragedies of the Civil War. A significant national legacy project such as this, which emphasises the importance of open, inclusive and participatory access to authentic archival sources, would support the State very appropriately in its approach to the remembrance of the challenging and sensitive historical events over the remainder of the decade.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The expert advisory group also welcomed the Government's commitment to capital investment of almost €1.2 billion in Ireland's culture, language and heritage over the next ten years under Project 2040 — the National Development Plan 2018–2027. In its second statement of principles, published in October 2017, the advisory group expressed the strong view that "the opportunity to encourage scholarship at national and local level must be used as fully as possible, with particular emphasis on archival investment and development." This significant capital investment will ensure that our cultural institutions and archives will continue to have a central role in continuing the process of broad public engagement, creating an important, tangible legacy that endures well beyond the decade of centenaries for generations to come.
I understand the need for digitisation. I welcome the information provided. Two major stores of historical information were destroyed, one when the Free State Army attacked the Four Courts and the other when, under de Valera, the IRA attacked the Custom House.
My question was trying to build on capital projects such as that at Richmond Barracks, the GPO, Teach an Phiarsaigh and the Military Archives, which are now permanent reminders of the events of 1916 and the role they played in developing our society. Other than the digitisation projects, is any specific project planned? Has the Minister invited the national cultural institutions to submit applications for substantial funding for new wings, for example, to add to our institutions, or even for local authorities to have appropriate commemorative statues and memorials built in the forthcoming period?
With regard to Beyond 2022, I approved in January a funding allocation of €95,000 to support the transition phase of the project, which will, to some extent, be a capital project of the kind the Deputy speaks about. I have requested my officials to engage with the project team to ensure that an appraisal is carried out in line with the requirements of the public spending code and to ensure that the appropriate structures, governance and monitoring arrangements are put in place.
It might be helpful to the Deputy to be reminded of the expert advisory group's advice. It is suggesting a four-strand approach. It is talking about a State ceremonial strand, which will comprise a limited number of symbolic acts of national commemoration focusing on themes of remembrance and reconciliation and the commemoration of all those who lost their lives during the period in question. The group also talks about an historical strand, which will comprise a diverse range of activities designed to encourage authentic historical inquiry about the period and promote the use of primary archival sources. Some initiatives will be developed in collaboration with State partners, national cultural institutions, institutions of learning and other stakeholders. There will also be a community strand, which will involve a collaborative approach, similar to that adopted for the 1916 centenary commemorations, between the State, the local authority network, perhaps Dublin City Council in respect of the Deputy's area, as well as national community organisations, including in Northern Ireland, where appropriate. There will also be a creative imagination strand, which will continue to encourage artistic and creative expression in remembrance of the significant historical events.
The answer the Minister has given me is that there is nothing planned for the period between now and 2023 or 2024 by way of a substantial, permanent structure. Will the Minister revisit this aspect? To have a permanent structure built and opened as part of the centenary events over the coming years, planning would have to have begun.
I am not ruling anything in or out. What I am trying to point out to the Deputy is the advice of the expert advisory group on commemorations in general. The local authorities will have a significant role, including Dublin City Council. There will be an event on 13 March at which the local authorities will come together collectively and will be in a position to explore ideas they may have for the commemorations over the next decade. A number of events are planned. I outlined the general themes. There will be ceremonial events in 2021 on the signing of the Truce. In 2022, the centenary of the foundation of the State will be commemorated. There will be a ceremony of reconciliation and there will be a significant academic conference. The President is involved in respect of a sculpture related to the last part of the decade of centenaries. It will be up to the local authorities and all the people in this country to decide whether they wish to have something suitable in terms of a capital project.
