There must be some bewilderment among the arts sector at two recent political statements. First, the admission by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that the State had failed the arts and must now put "culture at the centre of public policy". This was quickly followed by a declaration by Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys that funding of the arts is "a vital component of building an open, fairer society".
The Minister also acknowledged the need for recovery from the austerity-related cuts which her own government imposed over recent years. This Damascene conversion to the value of culture is to be welcomed; the irony will not be lost on those who protested at what certainly seemed like the downgrading of the arts as part of the minister’s portfolio earlier this year.
The wake-up call appears to have been “the cultural revival in Ireland” generated by the Easter Rising commemoration. Though most of those who for years have been championing the vibrant role of the arts in Irish society, and the kudos they earn for Ireland internationally, may have missed this “revival” moment.
In the wake of the central role of the arts in the 1916 commemoration programme – and much credit is due for the way in which cultural events were given primacy – the Government is now planning to unveil a five-year project (2017-2022 ) that promises to again put the arts at the forefront.
The true meaning and worth of the words and sentiments expressed by the Taoiseach and Minister will become clearer in the detail of that. But it is encouraging that she has already mentioned the involvement of children in the arts: real attention to the arts in education is long overdue as is greater investment.
Although some rectification of the losses in funding to the Arts Council came with the recent Budget, there is a way to go to restore its capacity – as the Arts Act reminds us – to properly function as "the agency responsible for the promotion and development of the arts". Or as the Taoiseach put it: "to ensure that in our pursuit of economic riches we do not descend into cultural poverty".