Irish Examiner view: Investment in arts brings rich returns

16th Culture Night should be celebrated as a 'national moment'

Culture and Arts Minister Catherine Martin launches Culture Night assisted by child actors from the Gaiety School of Acting, Anu Paul GK, George Hannigan, and William O’Reilly at the Peacock Theatre, Dublin. Picture: Maxwells

As we gear up to celebrate Culture Night this evening, let us recall the poets of ancient Ireland whose words were so potent they could inflict serious physical harm. 

The annals refer to three sudden deaths caused by a poet’s ‘miracle’ during the 15th century, while the mythical satirist of the Ulster Cycle of sagas penned verses so powerful they left three blotches on a woman’s cheek: Shame, blemish, and disgrace.