Galway arts groups lead drive to stop budget cuts

ARTS groups in Galway are to the fore in an online campaign that will see 10,000 signatures presented to the Minister for the Arts, Martin Cullen, before the Budget, calling for current levels of funding to the Arts Council to be maintained, and the position of Arts Minister retained.

Manager of the Town Hall Theatre, Fergal McGrath, who is involved in the Galway Campaign for the Arts, stressed the importance of the arts to the Irish economy, and says that funding must be maintained despite the country’s economic crisis.

“Recent economic reports have shown that nearly 27,000 jobs are created through the arts and that this sector plays a significant influential role across all creative industries,” explained Mr McGrath.

“Funding the arts in Ireland is not solely about supporting an outlet for our society’s creative expression or maintaining an industry for which we’ve gained a glowing global reputation. It’s about investing in the future of our country – and that of Galway.”

The city’s glowing global reputation continued last Thursday when Druid staged three productions on three stages on the same night – one in Ireland and two in the USA.

The Irish tour of The Gigli Concert by Tom Murphy kicked off in Letterkenny while in New York The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh continued to play to packed houses following on from its rave reviews there. Two and a half thousand miles west The Walworth Farce, also by Enda Walsh, touched down in Los Angeles on the ninth stop of its 16-stop world tour, which finishes in Sydney next April.

Druid’s Artistic Director, Garry Hynes said: “Druid playing on three stages with three different productions on the same night is a testament to the value for money the arts provide and the passion and commitment of the people who work with us. Our annual grant from the Arts Council is €915,000 and our full time staff is six. I'd like to see any business beat that level of productivity.”

Meanwhile the online petition calling for recognition of the importance of the arts to Ireland, which has already been signed by over 5,000 people, is to be presented to Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Martin Cullen TD, prior to Budget Day on Wednesday, December 9.

The campaign, which launched in late September, asserts that the arts are fundamental to Ireland’s economic recovery and notes that thousands of arts workers and others will be out of a job if Arts Council funding were to be dramatically cut.

Those interested can sign the petition or get further information about the National Campaign for the Arts on www.ncfa.ie