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Speech at Limerick City of Culture “Made in Limerick” Event

St John’s Church, Limerick, 29th September 2014

I am delighted to be here today to celebrate Limerick’s achievements as our first City of Culture. I am also very glad to have received the opportunity to meet the activists associated with some of those projects that form part of the Made in Limerick initiative; an initiative which will, of course, ensure that this significant year of creativity here in Limerick will leave a strong and lasting legacy that can be enjoyed for many years to come.

I speak often of the value of arts, culture and creativity to our communities, to our society and to our own personal sense of our rich heritage; a heritage that so powerfully reconnects us to our past and will continue to indelibly link generation to generation.

Má táimid le sainhníniú dóthanach ar shochaí a aimsiú, ní mór dúinn cultúr comhroinnte a bheith againn mar chroí beo na sochaí sin, is croí ar féidir leis, ní amháin an gaol atá againn leis an am atá thart a chur i gcuimhne dúinn, ach croí a chabhraíonn linn a thuiscint  chomh maith, an tábhacht a bhaineann lenár bheith páirteach in éabhlóid leanúnach na bpobal seo ‘gainne.  

[If we are to make an adequate definition of a society, we must have as the beating heart of that society a shared culture which not only reminds us of our relationship with the past, but also helps us to comprehend the importance of playing our part in the continued evolution of our communities.]

The great thinker and writer on social science Radhakamal Mukerjee stated that:

“Art is the great binder, the ubiquitous seal of community life and action. Art easily and effectively adapts the human mind to its social milieu, and is therefore one of the conditions of social progress.”

By identifying, giving recognition to, and encouraging the ongoing development of culture and creativity in our society we lay the foundations for a fulfilling and inclusive citizenship; a citizenship built on a sense of shared meaning, heritage and identity.

The Arts are a powerful medium through which experiences can be communicated and they therefore play a fundamental role in the discovery of common meanings; and, above all, are free to bring imagined worlds and processes into being.  As human beings, we have a basic need to convey and to share our experiences with fellow citizens and leave traces for future generations, and the power of creativity lies at the very heart of that process.

The 109 projects which have been awarded funding by the Made in Limerick initiative remind us of the many ways in which a community can embrace and use the arts in order to acknowledge and pursue its own cultural identity.  It was indeed very inspiring to read the list of successful projects and see such varied and innovative artistic endeavours, all developed  through a real desire to facilitate individual and community expression through art.

Some initiatives  have brought the arts out of the theatres, galleries, and concert halls, and into the streets and villages and communities of Limerick, placing culture right at the heart of society.  Others have focussed on reconnecting citizens with their past through re-enacting significant historical events, exploring Limerick’s splendid archaeology, and examining the critical subject of genealogy.

Several projects introduce Limerick’s young citizens to the joys of theatre and music and film, encouraging them to engage with, and make their own contribution to, this important year of culture.

I am very inspired by the imaginative ways in which so many of the projects demonstrate a real understanding of the importance of constantly striving to re-invent, re-imagine and re-interpret in order to ensure that the Arts remain relevant in an ever evolving society.

I am grateful for the valuable opportunity I was provided with today to meet with four of the projects and hear of the creative and original work they are doing here in Limerick.

The Georgian Pop Up Museum is not only an excellent example of collaboration between experts, but also allows a new audience to explore their heritage and to recognise how current society has been created and shaped and fashioned by our past.

The ‘Are You Dancing’ project also reaches into our past, and indeed into the memories of those who recall a different way of life through the music and dance they grew up with. It reminds us of how shared experiences and recollections play such an important role in the creation of a community; and of how we must harness our great spirit of innovation to all that was best about our past.

The Particles or Waves collaborative delved deep into the imagination of  our young people, who of course will wish to play their own unique role in creating a new chapter of our ‘Irishness’. The drawings which evolved from this project, and which have now become part of the physical environment of Limerick city, remind us of how we all see the world in our own unique and wonderful ways.

Noye’s Fludde again focuses on the younger citizens of Limerick, bringing together over 300 children to share the experience of working together to produce an operatic performance of the highest standard. Not only did this project create a powerful link between today’s generation and the great music  of the past, it also allowed them to experience the power of art and culture in bringing people together in a great spirit of enjoyment and community.

So may I congratulate everyone who has taken part in the Made in Limerick initiative and indeed all of those who have been working so hard to ensure that Limerick’s year as City of Culture will be a successful one.

I commend and thank you all for your recognition of the vital role that arts and culture play in producing dynamic, creative and reflective societies – the kind of societies which we wish to inhabit, contribute to and flourish in.

Guím gach rath oraibh agus sibh ag leanúint den obair thábhachtach atá ar bun agaibh agus gabhaim buíochas libh arís as mé a bheith anseo agaibh inniu.

[I wish you every success as you continue with your important work and I thank you again for inviting me here today.]