The Minister for everything

Goodbye Gaeltacht, Heritage and the Islands; hello Sport and Tourism.Belinda McKeon asks people working in the arts what they think of theirnew ministry - and the person in charge of it, John O'Donoghue

So, where were you when you heard? For Síle de Valera and some of her colleagues, last Thursday's announcement of the new Cabinet contained some unpalatable surprises. It sent ripples, too, through the arts sector.

Gone was the old department, with its commitment to Gaeltacht, Heritage and the Islands, as well as Arts. These dropped elements were to go to Eamon Ó Cuiv, new Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, while broadcasting, including the issue of RTÉ, would become the challenge of Dermot Ahern, Minister for Communications and Natural Resources.

There was also a new creation, one so unpredictable that at first it might have seemed that a typing error had been made in the excitement of the day: the new department of Arts, Sports and Tourism. And heading it is, former Minister for Justice and Law Reform, John O'Donoghue.

He embarks on a term which will arguably be spent darting from one building site to another, between the National Stadium, the Abbey, and the Irish Academy of the Performing Arts. In the past week, the arts community has puzzled over whether the new Minister has ever been spotted in a gallery or at an opening night. Here, prominent voices from the arts react to his appointment.

Fiach Mac Conghail, theatre and film producer

"My initial reaction was a sense of relief, seeing the arts portfolio at the cabinet table. Having it there means that any proposed bills and policies will have to be discussed, that other ministers will have to contribute and to become more aware that the arts are a central part of the programme for government.

"I'm not bothered by the change to tourism and sport; that's how modern government works. It's no more incongruous than being with Gaeltacht and the Islands. And I'm not worried about the breaking up of the Department; I'm passionate about the Irish language and would prefer not to see it confused with the arts as a necessary bedfellow.

"I'm more anxious about the issue of the Arts Bill, which is something that the sector has not responded to. It's a bill which suggests radical changes for the influence of the Arts Council on the government. The arts sector has been very quiet on this, I don't think the bill has been widely read. I would like to see the council talk to him about the nature of this bill. Also they need to address the fact that money and a strong economy do not equate with better quality work.

"Síle de Valera seemed dogged by problems in the Arts Council and the Abbey. I'm pragmatic about her going. John O'Donoghue is approachable, I think. And I have no concerns about his expertise. He's from South Kerry, remember, which is steeped in culture."

Mark Mulqueen, director, Irish Film Centre

"I'm trying to be positive. It's good that film, both as an industry and an art form are still under one ministry. John O'Donoghue had a huge amount of responsibility and status in the last government; I think it's good that the arts brief is with someone like that. He's a senior Fianna Fáil voice. He has three pieces in his portfolio, and to be judged a success he will be keen to get all three right.

"In terms of expertise, I think not being known may actually be a good thing. It lessens the risk of unfair distribution, of decentralisation. I don't think we will see the Arts Council moving to Cahirsiveen. And I hope that there will be less danger of exclusive orientation towards pet projects.

"But it's a pity to see broadcasting go to Communications; all of these things should be looked at collectively. And the break-up of the department is a disappointment. Except for the fact that the three areas play a role in recreation, the connection between them is fairly slight.

"The interesting thing is that, of the three portfolios, the arts is the only one without representative bodies or federations and is not established into a cohesive lobbying pact. Sport and tourism are both so efficient in that regard. And the Minister may potentially be more reactive to these sectors; compared to them, even with the proposed theatre forum, the arts are 10 to 15 years behind. We would have to catch up within the lifetime of this Government."

Jerome O'Driscoll, director, Green on Red Gallery

"I was a bit surprised to see him there among the list of appointments, yet glad in a way to see someone new. But I wasn't confident about Síle de Valera's understanding of art, and I'm even less so of his.

"I disagreed with the last Minister's understanding of art, her emphasis on access rather than excellence and professionalism. I thought the decision to house the first purpose-built wing for the visual arts in the National Gallery, the most traditional institution for the arts, showed a lack of confidence, a lack of money to put into new projects.

"You have to ask whether Síle de Valera was replaced because it was felt that she had failed to bring the arts world forward enough; but was there any participation with the sector over the decision of the replacement? Collaboration and consultation should be invited from the arts community, and the community should offer it. This happened with Michael D. Higgins, and it could happen again.

"What we need is more capital investment in the sector, and the surprisingly large numbers of people involved in the arts need proper facilities. I'd also like to see support for internationalising the arts, for an international standard to apply to work here. It's important to get us out of the country, to travel, to bring back expertise. Art fairs are important events, for example, but expensive."

Karen Fricker, theatre critic

"The appointment was a big surprise. People feel that it has come from left field, and they're trying to figure out if this man has any record in the arts. If he did, we would probably have more knowledge about him than we do.

"Maybe the appointment had to do with the fact that sport was such a nightmare, and they needed to put someone in there who could deal with it confidently. He will certainly have a lot on his plate with sport, but on the positive side, sports and tourism are very live and vital parts of culture. So maybe the fact that arts is in there along with them will mean that they also will be seen as live or vital.

"One possible, positive offshoot, of the combination is that the Arts Council may be allowed to operate more independently. But we are all watching to see what it means - less funding or a maintenance of the status quo?

"But it seems that the signs are there that it is not a priority to have the arts as a named ministry. John O'Donoghue appears quite conservative, whereas the ideal arts minister would be an open-minded individual, with an imaginative approach.

"Because the role of the arts is not necessarily quantitative. You can quantify some of it, yes, but really you have to believe that it's good for society, that it has a qualitative worth."

Fergus Linehan, director, Dublin Theatre Festival

"I was a bit shocked. You would have imagined that a few other people would have been contenders.

"What is more interesting than the appointment is the way that the department has been shifted around. As opposed to being in with heritage and the islands, things to be cherished, it's now gone in with things that are more a part of commercial life, more mainstream. And a perception that sports and tourism would fit in with everyday life is healthy - we shouldn't be too rarified about the arts.

"As for worries about the way that funding will be split between the three sectors, a question of 'them getting more' wasn't a concern when arts and Gaeltacht were together, so why now?

"There is room for crossover and that is what interests me. From the [Dublin Theatre] festival's point of view, the tourism thing is interesting. Having the Cultural Relations Committee in that department now is interesting too; there should now be opportunities to promote Irish artists abroad.

"Anyway, who knows that he is not an informed individual? Who knows what someone reads, their tastes? It's dangerous to be judgmental about what people are and are not. Just because they don't go to opening nights, and all that. The most important thing is where to go from here."

Ben Barnes, artistic director, the National Theatre

"This is what I'd like to say. I welcome the appointment of John O'Donoghue to the arts programme. There are very significant commitments in the new programme, including a new Arts Act recommendation made by the Forum on Broadcasting, and the rebuilding of the Abbey. We all have some concerns about the sharing with Sports and Tourism, and trust that the new arrangement will allow for the full implementing of the arts priorities in the programme for government.

"There had been a lot of speculation, so I wasn't that surprised to hear that it was him, in that I wasn't surprised that it was someone that nobody had predicted. I have met him once or twice. I think he was an able Minister for Justice and Law Reform. He is a political heavyweight, and that is a compliment for the arts."

Ciaran Benson, former Arts Council chairman

"It seems to me that the endeavour made in the 1990s to pull together seemingly disparate and yet deeply connected areas has been abandoned. Arts, heritage, landscape and culture - all of these are intimately related; contemporary housing, heritage, too, it's all part of how we think about contemporary art.

"And now, with broadcasting, and Gaeltacht and heritage taken out of the equation, it appears that the underpinning notion of culture has been torn away from the policy, that a demotion of the original idea has taken place.

"The dropping of the term 'culture' from the title says a lot. To move the Gaeltacht brief is to effect a fracturing of the threads of Irish life. Meanwhile, the broadcasting sector is in a dreadful state and desperately needs investments and decisions to be made.

"To say that this will make the arts live and mainstream is to assume that they have not been so until now, which is untrue. An improvement in government of the arts and culture has taken place, but this change has left us with some impoverished, emasculated idea of the arts, which the arts council will mainly handle."

Louise Donlon, arts administrator

"It doesn't put across an impression of the government having vision or knowing what it is doing with regard to the arts. To me, the combination with sport smacks of 'last in pot, right lads, let's put this somewhere ... '

"Of course, it's not fair to write him off before he begins; he made huge sense as a Minister for Justice. But he has no track record, it's out of the blue and we know nothing about him. Mind you, I feel that the unpredictable is par for the course in the arts sector, and we have managed to muddle through up to now.

"Regionally, there is no scope for more capital development, unless Europe gives it. A lot of the regional venues have been developed without proper planning for management, staff and even product to fill them. And a crucial issue is the drop in companies touring. We're back to the same situation of 20 years ago now, where if you wanted to see good theatre you had to travel to Dublin. As Minister, he should fund the Arts Council to sort out this problem.

"The arts community has not been very politically aware in recent years; we need a strong lobby group to badger the Government for support. Such a group would give the arts community grativas and profile, so that senior ministers will know that they can't do this, can't just stick anyone into the Arts post."

Dorothy Cross, artist

"Well, I'm living in the middle of a touristic beauty, Connemara, and the World Cup match is on in the other room ... but Arts being put in with Sport and Tourism is a losing battle. I hate the emphasis on popularity that the combination implies, the confusion between the arts and entertainment. Art is exceptional. It should be difficult, and, at times, not immediately understandable. There is a frightful tendency towards access at the moment.

"Yes, you need someone to administer, but you can't treat art as a business system. Here when you approach certain institutes for funding you have to tell them how the piece will be received before you've even created it, which is ludicrous. Failure and risk are stitched in; we work in the dark and we don't know what the result will be ourselves. So why should we have to tell someone else what it will be?

"Look at Michael D. Higgins - there was someone who understood the passion and the faith, as well as the system. I would love to see a policy of blind faith rather than of simplification. And to engender art within all those buildings that have gone up. To spend money on the art and not on the infrastructure. And to help those young artists just out of college, who are unfunded and floundering. That's where blind faith comes in."

Johnny Gogan, film director

"A lot of political meddling has been going on in the arts and broadcasting over the last few years. Maybe a new face is a good thing. I suspect that the motivation for change may have been a desire to see Eamon Ó Cuiv on the front bench, and whereas Gaeltacht, Heritage and the Islands would have been his areas of expertise, the Arts would not. O'Donoghue hasn't demonstrated much interest in the area, but someone's ability to get a brief across is what counts.

"From my perspective, broadcasting and the future of RTÉ is the critical area. That TV3 are putting money into feature-film production while RTÉ are not should be a major priority for the Minister. Also, making a film around the Border counties, I've seen the big role that the arts here play in terms of community development, yet how underdeveloped they are.

"Anyway, while having a Minister has its benefits - channelling more resources into artistic activity - there is also an element of a dead hand at work. Art comes down to sitting in a room and coming up with new ideas that the state can't legislate for. There is an element of relegation of the arts underpinning this shake-up, and this is no bad thing. In many ways I think that the arts have been over-legislated for in the past decade, and now it's up to people on the ground to come up with good ideas and stand up for their area."