At a time when demands on the much-diminished resources of the State are under severe pressure, the issue of investment in the arts is in danger of being low down any list of priorities.
But such a view is a short-sighted one best left to the cynic who might agree with the Wildean quip in The Picture of Dorian Gray that "all art is quite useless".
The Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, in forming his new Arts Council in August, drew from an impressive wealth of experience. The challenge he faces now is to support his appointees with levels of funding that would remedy the quite damaging effects of last year's cuts and facilitate implementation of priority objectives within the much lauded Arts Plan 2004-2006.
The case for such funding was strongly made last week when members of the new Arts Council met the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Sports, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs. The effect of the 8 per cent cut (11.2 per cent when adjusted for inflation) applied in last year's Budget was well illustrated by one stark statistic - a loss of employment for 1,000 people in the arts community.
The Arts Council submission points to other consequences - the cancellation of productions and tours, the outflow of artistic talent from the State and the general stymieing of creativity that must come with funding uncertainties. The programme of development that resulted in greater regional access to the arts with the opening of wonderful new arts centres will look ridiculous if theatre companies and others cannot provide the productions and exhibitions that sustain such venues.
In terms of both economic benefit and, more importantly, their value as a catalyst in shaping and informing the kind of society we might aspire to, the council put forward a plausible argument for restoration in 2004 of the sum originally due this year, €53.7 million. However, even this amount will not allow it to meet the full demands for funding which, according to the recent grant applications, will be closer to €72 million. Put in the context of the annual €1.1 billion cost to the Exchequer of the benchmarking deal, an extra €9 million to secure arts infrastructure sounds like good value.
In making its case the council rightly referred to the "unique value to society" of the sector.The Minister himself recently declared his conviction that the arts is not an "optional extra" but rather "an integral and essential part of what makes us a rounded society". We are fond of paying tribute to our cultural achievements and the enrichment they provide. But lip service is not enough.