Irish arts get NYC showcase

Somewhere in Ireland you can hear the sound of a shoe dropping. With the great recession biting and the Irish government cutting back on essential social services to keep the teetering economy afloat, one part of the Irish national fabric unexpectedly left untouched in the recent budget was the arts.

Government spending on them this year was consistent with pre-recession levels. But how did this surprise come about?

An independent commission on the arts in Ireland in 2009 discovered that the nation’s arts and culture programming is worth over €782 million, or more than $1 billion, to the Irish economy every year, a very significant boost to the national economic recovery. It was those kind of figures that finally persuaded the Irish government to get serious about promoting Irish arts at home and abroad.

That’s why last week Culture Ireland, the dynamic Irish government agency, brought over 90 performing artists from Ireland to New York for an unprecedented two-week showcase, in the hope of encouraging even greater collaboration and partnerships with American venues.

It’s now been established that promoting Irish culture leads to significant revenue and boosts tourism, and by all accounts the Irish showcase has already been wildly successful, winning rave reviews and invitations to return.

But the most surprising news about the Irish showcase is that it has happened at all. The ambitious round of performances in Manhattan (at some of the most high profile venues in the city) signals that the Irish government has recognized that Ireland’s profile abroad largely depends upon the near consistent excellence of its arts and culture.

For that reason, and for the major revenue it generates for Ireland, the government bankrolled an ambitious cultural visit that would have been inconceivable even at the height of the Celtic Tiger years. Someone in the Dail (Irish Parliament) has finally gotten the memo, it seems.

At a welcoming ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan on Friday Eugene Downes, CEO of Culture Ireland, told the Irish Voice, “Irish artists are defining Ireland’s global reputation. The artists and companies we’re showcasing in New York are great ambassadors and have ambitious plans for U.S. touring, collaboration and co-production.”

Irish culture, says Downes, has a very unique resonance in America, and Culture Ireland wants to enhance that energy for the future, working with a wide range of partners in New York and across the U.S. to bring new Irish works to the whole country.

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Nster.com