Supports for artists’ R&D will see Ireland reap benefits globally

Using arts to support Ireland is fine. Ireland supporting the arts is different, writes Gerard Howlin.

MONDAY saw two significant announcements on the arts and two important speeches from Leo Varadkar. One was partly about the arts. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste, Simon Coveney, launched Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025. It focused on Ireland’s place in the world, expanding our diplomatic network, and more.

On the arts, our enlarged global footprint will promote “Irish arts, heritage, and culture to new generations and new audiences across the world”. Culture Minister Josepha Madigan said: “We already know that the strength of Ireland’s culture in a globalised world is a very powerful way of expressing who we are; of connecting with our diaspora; and of opening doors for inward investment and tourism...”