Culture and Society

Culture and Society
Irish culture is widely acknowledged as one of the oldest and most fascinating in the world.

The steps that will be take to provide for and promote the various aspects of our culture and language will bring not just prosperity and visitors to the country, enhancing tourism, but will increase greatly the profile of the country internationally, which has many advantages, as well as providing a much needed boost to national morale in these difficult times.

The overwhelming success of such displays as Riverdance underline the enchantment which Irish culture holds for many around the world, and the shared culture we hold in common with many other countries. Here are the central policies which will be used to enhance our culture.

The Tailteann games
The central policy for the enhancement of our cultural profile is the revival of the Tailteann Games. These were a form of "Celtic Olympics" that originate in the 6th century BC, supposedly by Lugh, and were held continuously up until the 12th century AD, before being revived in the 1880s and lapsing in the early 1920s.

A description of the Tailteann games in the early twenties comes to us from professor Mike Cronin, of Boston University.

"Yet the Tailteann Games, which catered for 5,000 competitors and hundreds of thousands of spectators, was held in very adverse circumstances.”

The first games were to be held in 1922, but the outbreak of the Civil War meant the American athletes pulled out and the idea was abandoned. When revived two years later, however, the games were a runaway success: there were over 5,000 competitors in disciplines as diverse as hurling and Gaelic football, a full athletics programme, swimming, motor-cycle and airplane racing, art and music competitions."

At the time they attracted hundreds of thousands of people. Given the intense interest that is generated by the Olympics, sporting events and athletic competitions in general these days, we are going to produce a full revival of the games, stretching over a month, sited at several areas around the country which would benefit greatly from the event, complete with modern facilities with an Irish-themed look.

The events will be marketed heavily throughout the world as national prestige events, although the emphasis will be on Gaelic sports and culture, including hurling, Gaelic football, and camogie, along with outreach efforts to the huge global Irish diaspora, which should generate enormous amounts of tourism related revenue.

Further steps

An international competition will be held to produce a new "Irish style" of construction and building adornment. The results of this will be open to the public for review. Developers and builders will be given tax breaks in order to include this in their developments. This policy will be conducted side by side with a nationwide renewal policy, aimed at restoring the natural beauty of many Irish rural settings.
Also included in the growth policy is the development of an enhanced media centre of education, which focuses on production of Irish language games, software, movies, artworks, and entertainment products, which will make the renewal of the language easier for young people.
There will be a complete overhaul and standardisation of the way in which Irish is taught in school and colleges, and a central website that gives free Irish language lessons from very basic up to advanced.
The several departments which currently deal with Irish culture will be amalgamated into one Irish historical and cultural institute which focuses on every aspect of traditional Irish art and culture, music, language, craftwork, decoration, poetry and writing and so on, and directs and promotes the internal growth of this culture, as well as ensuring the positive profile of Ireland abroad. This institute will also be tasked with the accumulation of historical information from oral and other sources.
A heavy emphasis will be placed on the removal of the pervasive alcohol culture in Ireland.
The development and restoration of important archaeological sites is also a priority.
The ancient Irish art of storytelling by the Seanchaí will be revived, and integrated with tourism intiatives such as hiking and overnight stays at or near historic sites. Incentives will also be offered to hotels and bars to include this service in their businesses.
An increased focus will be placed on traditional arts such as Irish dancing.
Working towards securing and providing Greenways and Trails so as to promote a healthier lifestyle and outdoor pursuits.
Cultural policy is very important in terms of the development of inner city areas across Ireland. We will set up cultural clusters in inner city areas across Ireland, which will include the cultural activities in an area (art organisations, colleges, publishers, printers, craft, art galleries/retailers and so on).
The creation of national parks and other areas throughout the country to help emphasise Ireland's natural beauty and increase tourism.
As part of the national cultural revival programme, priority will be given to hobbyist and social groups, with permanent venues and funding supplied to local hobbyist groups in order to provide alternatives to the pervasive alcohol culture for people of all ages. Interests supported will be as diverse and widespread as people in a location require, and will be coupled with information technology enhancements in the education system to allow disparate groups to share resources, information and coordination. These groups will also be involved in adult education programmes.