THIS EVENING an open celebration of Irish culture takes places in Dublin, Cork, Galway and several other centres across the country. Culture Night, with it free public access to a host of events in our national institutions and arts venues, will offer citizens the chance to enjoy exhibitions, performances, music recitals and street theatre, as well as talks on local heritage and architecture.
The wider participation of more cities and towns – 11 in all this year – since Culture Night was inaugurated in Dublin three years ago, is indicative of the success and value of this open night in connecting people of all ages with our cultural heritage.
At a time when the national mood is downbeat and dominated by economic challenges, this communal occasion provides the chance for a wide audience to experience what composer Benjamin Britten saw as the purpose of art – to inspire, comfort, entertain and touch.
There is now an emerging consensus that culture, and the creative process, can have a significant role in the reinvigoration of our economy as a reminder to the wider world that the resourcefulness of the Irish imagination still remains an integral part of our identity. That is a vital message to convey around the world today – a counterbalance to the image of wasted opportunity.
This week’s Emmy awards to actor Brendan Gleeson and director Dearbhla Walsh are further confirmation of the value of nurturing and investing in artistic talent here at home. It is an investment that has paid dividends when international recognition places the spotlight on Ireland’s cultural industry – an industry which, as film director Neil Jordan told the Global Economic Forum in Farmleigh last weekend, “has not failed the country”.
When Martin Cullen told the forum that “the Irish imagination is one of our greatest assets”, the Minister for Arts was echoing the sentiments of Mary Robinson in her Béal na mBláth speech when she suggested that our creative artists must be listened to in the search for a new vision of Ireland in the post-Celtic Tiger era. The Minister was not simply making a case for cultural idealism; he added hard economic facts to his argument, citing the cultural sector as a dynamic segment of the economy and one that benefited it by as much as €11.8 billion last year. The launch of the National Campaign for the Arts is therefore timely: its case in favour of protecting arts funding merits serious consideration at political level. Meanwhile, the general public has the opportunity this evening to see why they too should support such a campaign.