Mattie McGrath warns of 'frightening' impact on arts, music and dance
Mattie McGrath spoke about the severe impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Ireland's arts, music and dance sectors and urged that funding reach artists, teachers and community groups on the ground. He highlighted exclusions from supports, widespread cancellations and the social as well as economic damage to performers and venues.
Immediate concerns for performers and teachers
McGrath described the abrupt stop to cultural activity as "frightening" and said many artists, music teachers and dance teachers who rely on mixed incomes are not covered by existing supports. He noted the particular exclusion of those over 66 from pandemic payments and urged that part-time and multi-income workers be acknowledged in any relief schemes.
Financial supports and distribution to the ground
He acknowledged the minister's figures that 14,000 people in the cultural sector had applied for the pandemic unemployment payment but warned that funds must "trickle down" to the actors on the ground. McGrath welcomed commitments to the Arts Council but stressed past problems with culture funding that had to be resolved and called for clarity that supports reach organisers, vendors and individual practitioners.
Cancellations, economic loss and major events affected
McGrath outlined the cancellation of festivals, exhibitions, courses and the summer season, warning of wider tourism and local-economy losses. He pointed to the cancellation of the World Irish Dancing Championships, which he said represented less than a €10 million benefit to Dublin and the surrounding economy, and listed organisations such as the EA, the Score and CLRG as unable to proceed this year.
Community resilience and online creativity
He praised local groups and online initiatives keeping culture alive during lockdown, singling out Care Coyotes, Ballycommon Coyotes, the In Tune For Life Orchestra, Music Generation Tipperary and named volunteers and organisers. McGrath also declared an interest in his niece, who runs McGrath School of Dance, and described the challenges of virtual classes for physical disciplines such as dance and music.
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Goedemail, Minister, all of us know that I have a grow and a concours for Irish culture, arts, indeed, and I have said dance every so often. The impact that the restrictions have had and will have on this sector is frightening. While the health and economic impacts are obvious and the reality of the situation extends way beyond and affects the social and mental health that engage between our Irish arts and cultures. Minister, in your opening statement, I noted that you quoted that 14,000 people in the cultural sector had applied for the pandemic and employment payment. Well, I acknowledge that. There are many people who are unable to get that because they might have another income from a daytime, part-time job and money like that. And, of course, the over-66s have been denied everything, everywhere. And many of them go into their late 80s and 90s in this situation with the love and the growth of the tongue of the ring. By its very nature, many artists and music teachers, dance teachers might have a second daytime, as I said, and they need to actually acknowledge and they should get some kind of payment. The arts, music and dance offer an outlet to so many young people to express themselves and indeed flourish at a social level and the abrupt stop to all of this has many impacts. Social media has been brilliant help in this regard and local radios also. Like other deputies have mentioned, the online concerts and the creations that have been published in the past few weeks have been uplifting. Many of them going to raise funds for many, many good causes. One in Clonmel, which was a GoFundMe for the St Mary's Coal Society, a wonderful society there who don't know now how they're going to survive. They still have bills to pay every day in utilities and ESB and heat and light and everything else. And how are they going to operate? Will there be funds for them when they finish? As we approach our summer season, only then will we truly realise the total dissemination of our arts industry and events. The necessary but sad cancellation of festivals, exhibitions, shows and the courses. And of course the flower season was just due to begin in the local rounds in the county and the regional and indeed culminating in a massive international flacule in late August. Ireland attracts tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world to witness our live music and cultural activities. Places like Brewboru and Cashel are famed, Kyoto's culture are airing and the summer session shows. Indeed, the EA and the Score, which are unable to go ahead this year along with CLRG. And I'd have to mention places like Jim of the Mills, a renowned old public house that only opens at GoChi d'Ordine in Tipperary, Upper Church. Fabulous sessions. Queues out the door, entertained by Jim and his family and the many visitors. And the CDR and the tourist eyes. When they go into places like that, I used to have it in the Tash pub and Greg, no longer with us, but we're losing many of those so we need to support them. Because it's not the colour of the Caelda. Last month, the 15th annual World Irish Dancing Championships were due to take place in Dublin. With less than a €10 million benefit to the Dublin city and surrounding economy. The fair cold season, including, as I said, county and national, are all cancelled. My own niece, and I have to declare an interest, I suppose, Cathy McGrath, runs the music, a dance school, McGrath School of Dance, based in Cochran, New and Ashura. In the wider South Tipper area in West Waterford, your own family, some of them in that area, minister in your heritage as well. I'm sure that she's done her best, and like many others, to do virtual classes online. But I'm sure the challenges that comes with this are fairly obvious. The lack of physical engagement makes any practice much more difficult than the same goes for music lessons. It's hard to have a seat of Venice, virtually, minister. Or a waltz of Limerick, or the Folly, Lime, Lean, or Ruddy Machin. And indeed, the old-time waltz. And I won't go for the croxtrot, someone's talking about them for the moment. Irish music and dancing industry in itself, musicians, audio-visual providers, vendors, organisers, and teachers, they're all affected. The Commissioner of Rink and Gaeloch has responded to this abrupt cease of activity by setting up a worldwide committee to deal with the unprecedented challenge for Irish dancing. It is not possible to just start where we left off on the 12th of March. That is the problem. The lack of extra cash that families will have to put into those when things reopen again will be a huge issue too. And I appreciate the monies that you're committing, minister, to the Arts Council, but we need to ensure that all these supports come through, they're right down to the actors on the ground. They need to, and oftentimes they don't, minister. And we had problems earlier this year, or late last year, with the Coyotes culture and the money minister, and we weren't too pleased what happened, but thank God it got back on track. Before I finish, I want to pay tribute to a group in my own constituency that are keeping us all, our groups, entertained online during the lockdown. Groups like Care Coyotes, Ballycommon Coyotes, and the In Tune For Life Orchestra, up in Ballycommon, Aidan O'Donnell and the Music Generation Tipperary, Paul Lafford, of course the famed Louise Morrissey, who was singing at nursing homes, organised as I said earlier, by Paddy Doheny, and Paddy Doheny himself, and indeed John Allen for booking it, Superintendent Eddie Golden, Ned Lundigan, they take out the time, and they sit down in their own rooms, and they have no encores, and no one calls for encores, but they do it, and they give it of their heart. It's their culture and heritage, and they expose that for all of us to see, and enjoy, so I want to really, really thank them, and Minister, be hoping that you ensure that the funding will trickle down to the ordinary people on the ground, and the Inipioga. Thank you, Deputy Graeme. My department provides significant support to Kiol Tauri, and it will continue to do so as well, and we support the sector, but we also have to maintain our focus, obviously, on protecting public health, and...
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