Speech by Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D. “Ireland and the Cultural Economy: the arts as a gateway to business & tourism”
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Tá áthas orm a bheith anseo inniu agus ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil libh as bhur bhfáilte.
I am delighted to be here and I thank you for the invitation to address you this afternoon in this vibrant and wonderful city. Ireland and the American South are intrinsically linked, with a deep mutual respect for the culture and traditions of both jurisdictions. I had the privilege earlier this morning of viewing the wonderful Séamus Heaney exhibition at Emory University and the Emory Irish Literary Archives and I was humbled at the esteem in which Irish culture and indeed rich literary traditions are held in this part of the world.
Ireland is extremely proud of Heaney. I had the pleasure of meeting some members of his family during the summer, when I launched a new book of his poetry in Dublin. I was hugely impressed at the range of Heaney’s material on display here in Atlanta, including personal correspondence and hand-written drafts of his great work. The exhibition gives us a moving insight into the great man’s work and I would love to see it brought to Irish audiences. I am delighted, therefore, to hear that discussions with the National Library of Ireland on partnering to bring elements of the Emory exhibition to Ireland are progressing well.
Tonight I will help to launch a new volume of the letters of one of Ireland’s most famous writers, Samuel Beckett. I know I am arriving only a few days after the second ever Irish Fest Atlanta and in the wake of a critically acclaimed production of “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” by Atlanta’s new Celtic Theatre Company, Arís. It is all testament to an Irish cultural community in good health and I want to congratulate you for that.
Today, I’d like to acknowledge the role this Irish Chamber of Commerce plays in fostering positive impressions of Ireland too – in business, tourism, culture and the arts – and to pay tribute to the leadership of Kevin Conboy and Bill Duffy in particular.
The contribution of Scots-Irish and Irish settlers to the rich musical and cultural traditions of the American South is a story that deserves prominence and recognition. Today, more than a million people in Georgia claim Irish or Scots-Irish heritage, which of course is a huge testament to the brave migrants who made this great state their home in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As you know Ulster has very strong links with Scotland and your culture very much resonates with me as an Ulsterwoman.
I am here this week as Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee in Ireland as well as in my role as Government Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Tomorrow morning, I will fly to New Orleans for our 2014 International Famine Commemorations. I was heartened to learn that those who travelled to New Orleans – some via Liverpool and some via other US cities – to escape the ravages of the famine, found a home there. And I know here in Georgia and in the Carolinas, Irish people fleeing the Famine – some of whom would have been ancestors of people with us here today – entered through ports like Savannah and Charleston and never looked back. They worked very hard, settled their families and established a vibrant and enduring Irish community here.
To draw an obvious analogy, Ireland, of course, has recently been experiencing its own “escape” – an escape from the hardships brought by the years of our economic downturn. When the Fine Gael Labour Government took office in March 2011, Ireland was on the brink of disaster. We were locked out of the international markets, unemployment was spiralling and our public finances were in severe disarray. We set out a plan to fix our public finances, to grow the economy and to get people back to work. That plan is working. We have exited the bailout, the public finances are under control and unemployment rates have been falling steadily for more than two years now. Just yesterday the European Commission announced that Ireland is set to become the fastest growing economy in the EU, and figures just published show tax revenues are 3.5% ahead of target so far this year. At the end of last year, Forbes magazine recognised Ireland as the number one country in the world in which to do business.
The road we have travelled to get to this point has been very difficult and the Irish people have made major sacrifices, but the policies pursued by this Government have worked and the recovery in the Irish economy is well underway.
Irish people have a tremendous ability to adapt and to get on with the job at hand and make the best of what we have. I want to tell you here today that Ireland is open for business, and we want to do business with you
US investment is crucial to Ireland’s economic success and US companies contribute greatly to strategic regional development right across Ireland. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. Ireland benefits hugely by being home to major US firms, in terms of direct and indirect jobs and investment. Their presence also helps to foster an innovative culture, which encourages Irish start-ups to succeed. And in turn the US firms benefit from our young, adaptable and highly educated workforce, our business friendly environment and the fact that Ireland has long been recognised as a gateway to Europe’s 500 million consumers. Atlanta giants like Coca-Cola and UPS have been a major part of that shared story of success. And as our Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, announced in his Budget last month, we will be maintaining that superb environment for innovation and success over the years ahead. This includes our business friendly approach, and our 12.5% corporation tax rate, which has served Ireland well for so many years and which enjoys huge political and popular support.
As Minister in the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, I believe the arts sector has an important contribution to make to Ireland’s economic recovery. There is much potential in the arts and in the cultural, heritage and creative industries to create growth and jobs. A key objective for me, therefore, is to support these sectors and maximise their economic and employment creation potential. Cultural tourism also has a significant contribution to make to Ireland’s economic recovery and the rebuilding of Ireland’s reputation on the international stage.
Of course like Ireland, the American South is famous for its rich cultural traditions and has been hugely successful in promoting this worldwide. You have long recognised the importance of the arts as a gateway to business and tourism and this is something that we in Ireland are trying to develop to the widest extent possible to ensure that our rich heritage can be enjoyed by all but can also be used to harness job creation and contribute to long-term sustainable growth. Some might say – it’s not the economy stupid, it’s the culture genius.
Tourism
Soon after coming to office, in 2011, the Government recognised that tourism is a key driver of social and economic development at both national and regional levels in Ireland. We cut the tax on tourism services by 3.5% – and the move has had an extremely positive impact on the sector, with jobs and visitor numbers growing quarter by quarter.
My Department has responsibility for a number of core assets and programmes which support cultural tourism, which has a major impact on Ireland’s economic and jobs recovery. Ireland’s culture acts as a unique draw for visitors– particularly those of the Irish diaspora here in the United States and the UK. Fáilte Ireland, Ireland’s National Tourism Development Authority has estimated that, in 2011, 3.5 million of our 6.3 million overseas visitors engaged in cultural activity and spent an estimated €2.8 billion while in Ireland[1]. Therefore cultural tourism can be seen as a growing and important market.
We have a wealth of cultural assets in Ireland and our National Cultural Institutions play a significant part in Ireland’s cultural tourism product. They are essential building blocks of the cultural identity and creativity of Ireland. In 2013, there were approximately 3.6 million visitors to the cultural institutions and the majority of visitors to Ireland visit either an art gallery or museum during their stay. We continue to invest in our national cultural institutions, with a €32 million capital investment programme currently being carried out at the National Gallery.
Like every aspect of Irish public life, our cultural institutions have come through a number of very difficult years, when they had to endure significant budget cutbacks, but this has been arrested for 2015.
As the economy continues to improve, I will continue to fight for increased resources for the arts.
The Irish Government is committed to investing in and building on Ireland’s cultural heritage. As some of you may know, my predecessor, Minister Jimmy Deenihan launched an exciting project in Stanford University earlier this year called – the Inspiring Ireland portal. The project is supported by an International Advisory Board, led by John Hartnett, President and Founder of the Irish Technology Leadership Group, which will help with technology direction and commercialisation and encourage financial support for Inspiring Ireland from the United States. This is a unique and ambitious project to bring the collections of Ireland’s renowned national cultural institutions to a truly global audience and I look forward to its continued success.
We all know how the arts can help encourage tourism and create jobs.
A 2011 report published by the Arts Council showed that the arts provided €307million in taxes and also had an impact on the wider creative industries such as the advertising sector, architecture, fashion and design, and cultural tourism, contributing €4.7 billion to the economy and supporting 79,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs. This highlights the huge effect that investment in the arts can have on our economy and indeed our society.
The Decade of Commemorations programme is one of my major priorities over the next 16 months. It marks a series of major events from 1912 to 1922 which shaped both Ireland and the world 100 years ago. This year, we have been remembering the hundreds of thousands of Irish men who participated in the First World War, and in 2016 we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Next week, I will be joined by the Taoiseach to launch a framework that will empower local communities and a range of other sectors and stakeholders to get involved in marking this major event in Irish history.
I am determined to ensure that the Commemorations are inclusive, respectful and appropriate.
While I am mindful that we must commemorate, I also feel that it is an opportunity to celebrate what we have achieved.
We are a relatively young democracy and as a people we understand the true values of republicanism; fraternity, brotherhood and liberty.
The Commemorations are an opportunity to evaluate the last 100 years as a nation, work to our future and define what kind of people we want to be and what type of Ireland we want in the 21st century.
The arts will play a central role in the Commemoration programme – the arts have a way of reaching out and speaking to people, of giving them a sense of pride, making them feel connected to the past and I hope that many of our diaspora here in the US will feel a sense of ownership, alongside Irish people at home, in this collective commemoration of our shared history. I hope that many people will return to Ireland and take part in this unique programme of events. It would be wonderful to welcome our extended family to Ireland for this special time.
Ireland and the US enjoy a special relationship given the number of people with Irish heritage who have made this country their home over the generations. Many travel to Ireland to discover more about their Irish heritage and we want to not just welcome them, but to help them on their journey.
We will continue to invest in embracing people who want to explore their Irish roots.
We want them to visit the homeland of their ancestors, and we will continue to protect our heritage and invest in our national archives so that their experience in Ireland – your experience in Ireland – can be worthwhile and memorable.
The Irish film industry has grown hugely over the last decade and is going through a period of positive growth and international acclaim. Not only are some of the biggest TV series in the world being made in Ireland, it was a pleasure for me to visit the set of one of the biggest film franchises in the world when Star Wars came to Sceilg Mhichíl (Skellig Michael) in Co. Kerry during the Summer. It was fantastic to be able to see firsthand the buzz a major production brings, and of course the positive spin off for the local community in terms of jobs and economic activity.
The welcome and the co-operation that the film crew received from the community is what Ireland is all about and makes us stand apart from our competitors and I want the message to go out clearly that we want to do business with the international film industry.
We have an excellent tax incentive scheme, which provides relief on projects up to €50 million – I am determined to work with our Minister for Finance to continue to enhance this scheme and attract major production companies to Ireland.
I want Ireland to become a first choice destination for film makers.
The audio visual content production sector in Ireland itself is estimated to be worth over €550 million and employs over 6,000 individuals, with over 560 small and medium enterprises operating in the sector. In 2012, there were 22 feature film projects produced in Ireland, 12 of which were Official International co-productions. These film projects attracted over €55m in International finance, and accounted for over €25m in Irish expenditure[2].
My Department invests approximately €14 million per annum in the Irish Film Board (IFB). The figures for 2013 show that the production activity for the independent film, television drama and animation sector reached the highest level on record, contributing over €168 million into the Irish economy through employment creation and spend on local goods and services.
I would also like to mention Culture Ireland – a valuable aspect of my Department. Culture Ireland creates and supports opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work worldwide – including here in Atlanta and across the US – through a strategic showcase programme and a regular funding scheme to support the presentation of Irish artists at international festivals and venues.
We have a wealth of talent that is supported by Culture Ireland to travel the world and showcase what Ireland has to offer, and the huge contribution we can make in terms of the arts.
Through Culture Ireland supported events, over 3 million people saw Irish artists in 49 different countries in 2013.
In addition to this, the International Week of Irish Culture based around the St Patrick’s Day festival continues to grow every year. The St. Patrick’s Day festival returns over €122 million annually to the Irish economy and welcomes over 140,000 overseas visitors. The festival works with and contracts many artists and companies annually to support other indirect employment – approximately 2,500-3,000 individuals. This is an important festival which helps to enhance our national identity and promote our image abroad. I know our communities in Atlanta and Savannah and so many other cities in this region also do a superb job promoting Ireland positively through St. Patrick’s Day Parades and I am grateful to have this opportunity to acknowledge those efforts as well.
While the arts, creative industries and cultural tourism make a major contribution to our economy, the arts is about much more than that. I feel passionately about the individual importance of the arts, how self expression through the arts can create a dialogue, and allow us to understand the world in a different way. Learning from the past and looking towards the future, the arts – whether consciously or unconsciously, touches every aspect of our lives, and if allowed, can make a highly positive impact on us as individuals and as a society. Our National Cultural Institutions, our theatres, artists and the public – are all stakeholders in this process.
Recognising the importance of the arts and our cultural identity, the Irish Government is for the first time developing a National Cultural Policy – Culture 2025 – which will set out the high-level aims and policies in the area of culture for the period up until 2025.
It will be a challenging task but I am looking forward to consulting widely with all stakeholders to get a full spectrum of views and develop a wide-ranging and inclusive strategy. I would welcome input from our Irish community here in the US as well.
As I see it, promoting and valuing cultural and creative resources is not just vital for the economy and job creation but is also vital to preserve our national identity. Nations that appreciate art and culture are progressive nations and I intend to do my utmost to ensure that everybody feels part of the arts – we are after all the curators of our own cultural destiny. And we know we have valuable allies here in Atlanta and across the US as we embark on that important work.
Ireland has a tremendous mosaic of culture that has been influenced by many different and diverse cultures over the generations.
Cultural Capital is hard to quantify on the balance sheet, but we must remember that not everything that can be measured counts, and not everything that counts can be measured.
Go raibh maith agaibh.
