One of the most ambitious festivals of the Irish arts staged in the US will take place in the Kennedy Centre in Washington next May, it was announced here yesterday.
The idea of such a festival, which will feature leading musicians, poets, writers, playwrights, film-makers and painters from Ireland north and south, came from former ambassador Ms Jean Kennedy Smith. She told a press conference at the centre that during her term in Dublin, she "witnessed the exceptional cultural renaissance that is now evident in every part of Ireland".
Saying that the festival, called "Island: Arts from Ireland", "means a great deal to me personally," she added that people with Irish roots from around the world, especially in the US, are applauding the spectacular talent that Ireland has to offer.
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, representing Ireland, said the ambassador's proposal "caught the imagination of my Government", which was happy to give substantial financial and other resources to support it.
The British ambassador, Sir Christopher Meyer, read a message from the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, expressing her delight that "the breadth and quality of Northern Ireland's arts and culture will be so richly represented".
The festival, which has a budget of almost $3 million, will be partially funded by the Irish Government, which is contributing $800,000, and the Northern Ireland administration, which is providing $400,000.
The president of the Kennedy Centre, Mr Lawrence Wilker, said he was not worried about a financial shortfall from the festival, which will run for two weeks. It was more likely there would not be enough tickets for those who wished to attend the events, he said.
Among the poets and writers who will be performing are Nobel prize-winner Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Michael Longley, Jennifer Johnston and John McGahern.
Plays will include Donal O'Kelly's Catalpa, Marina Carr's Raftery's Hill, the late Stewart Parker's Pentecost and the Gate production of Lady Windermere's Fan.
The festival will open with a celebration of Irish music in America, with Donal Lunny as director and the Coolfin band. The Broadway company of Riverdance will also perform. Other musical events curated by Philip King include "The Northern Voice" - an evening of stories and songs of Northern Ireland - and the "Green Fields of America" with musicians from the US and Ireland.
The full film section of the festival has not yet been finalised.