Entertainers demand to be given a sporting chance

James Vincent McMorrow performing at his 'special' pilot gig to 500 fans at the Iveagh Gardens in June. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

There's nothing like sport to bring people together, and on Sunday, it did, literally.

Some 40,000 fans filled Croke Park to watch Limerick get the better of Cork. Families, friends and teammates sat close by one another, shouting and screaming as the match wore on.

Meanwhile, 35,000 people sat at home, where they have stayed since March 2020, when the live events sector closed.

As a nation, or at least, as a Government, Ireland has decided that 40,000 people can sit in stands and cheer on our athletes, but only 500 people can sit in a field and listen to music.

The long-awaited "roadmap" for the live entertainment sector is due next Tuesday and sources say Arts Minister Catherine Martin is anxious to ensure clarity can be given to those who have been without work for more than a year.

The industry says it feels let down by Martin, and the Government as a whole. A country that cashes in on our songs and stories can't or won't prioritise the sector that gives them to us.

Sources reported last week that the minister was disappointed her plan with dates for reopening given to the Cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 earlier this month was not adopted. She sought an invite to a meeting of the subcommittee and her request was rebuffed.

The Small Firms Association even sent out a press release calling for the minister to be invited to the cabinet sub-committee. In a bizarre turn of events, a lobby group was lobbying for the minister rather than to the minister.

Not a priority

Supporters before the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Cork and Limerick in Croke Park, Dublin. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The stark message from the Government is that it is just not a priority, and the minister's failure to make it one reflects miserably on her.

The long-awaited roadmap must set out in great detail how exactly the sector can be saved. 

Without dates and commitments, those who were first to close and last to open will continue to be left rudderless as the Covid-19 supports and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment begins to be wound down in two weeks, effectively making these people "jobseekers" with no jobs to seek in an industry shuttered.

The industry says it is not looking for supremacy – it doesn't have an issue with the return of crowds at sport – but basic parity, and this seems to be too big of a call.

The goodwill is running out and even those who took part in the Government's "pilot" event have had enough.

James Vincent McMorrow tweeted: "It’s now impossible to ignore the fact that there is a chasm between how the music industry and the live industry sees itself, and how it’s seen by the government." 

It’s now impossible to ignore the fact that there is a chasm between how the music industry and the live industry sees itself, and how it’s seen by the government.

— James Vincent McMorrow (@jamesvmcmorrow) August 23, 2021

This is the crux of the issue – the Government sees live events as a luxury, while for the workers who depend on it, it's a lifeline.

The minister has making up to do, and although sources say musicians are "pushing on an open door" with Catherine Martin, who desperately wants the sector back on its feet, her inability to bring her Cabinet colleagues with her won't be forgotten come election time.

However, the cynics among us might argue there are more votes in Croke Park than there are in Iveagh Gardens.