This year's cut of €4 million in Arts Council funding resulted in about 1,000 people losing employment, the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs heard yesterday.
As well as the loss of work, productions and tours were cancelled, artists moved abroad and uncertainty has undermined the arts in Ireland, according to the Arts Council's submission to the committee.
The recently appointed council, represented by the new chairwoman Ms Olive Braiden, deputy chairman Mr Jerome Hynes and council director Ms Patricia Quinn, met the committee, chaired by Ms Cecilia Keaveney TD, in advance of next month's Estimates, which will determine the level of funding which the arts get next year.
This year the council received just €44 million, although the Arts Plan - which, it was pointed out yesterday, was in the programme for government - promised funding of €53.7 million for this, the second year of the plan.
Ms Braiden said the council acknowledged the reality of the situation and was seeking €53.7 million for 2004 - "asking for what should have come this year to come next year. I think that is a fair position and I hope it will be accepted as that."
Applications from organisations for Arts Council funding for 2004 closed last Friday and the council received 370 applications for grants totalling €60 million, for which the council would need funding of €70 million. This year it was only in a position to make grants of €38 million.
Ms Braiden also discussed achieving geographic equality in the arts, pointing to the increase in local arts centres and regional theatres, leading to new interest and activity. The financial reality was that running regional centres costs approximately 10 per cent of the capital cost annually.
Mr Jimmy Deenihan (FG) agreed that the arts had been devastated by this year's cuts and was glad the council had quantified the effects of the cuts. He believed the losses were even greater than indicated.
Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) asked about definitions of amateur and professional with regard to council policy, and whether they referred to standards or occupation, and he praised the role of voluntary activity.
Ms Fiona O'Malley (PD) said she did not think the council was being greedy in looking for €53.7 million. It was a "sensible" approach. The arts should be part of everybody's life from an early age. She asked about the council's role in encouraging arts organisations to ultimately become self- sufficient.