Nine Oscar nominations - A day to bask

THAT our enthusiasm for basking in the reflected glory of a neighbour’s child’s achievements is as much part of the Irish character as the part of us that happily shares, in hushed tones of course, the grimmest details of that neighbour’s child’s day in court for some college rag-day excess, just points to the complexity driving the Irish imagination.

This will be a busy day for the baskers — two Irish films have been nominated for best picture Oscars. Nominations in other categories, including Saoirse Ronan’s as best actress for her part in the adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn, bring the total of Irish nominations to nine.

Ronan will be challenged by Brie Larson who takes the lead in Emma Donoghue’s adaptation of her startling novel Room. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, Room has also been nominated for best film.

Both of these films were produced in co-operation with the Irish Film Board so we can all, however tenuously, bask in this unprecedented success.

This success suggests that funding to the arts, decimated in recent years, is an excellent investment and should be restored over time.