The children's season of the Dublin Theatre Festival at the Ark in Dublin is over, another phenomenal success - packed houses, long waiting lists for tickets, rave reviews. The same applies in Galway, where several events at the Baboro International Children's Festival were actually sold out the day the festival issued its promotional literature. Yesterday, Young At Art (the Belfast children's arts festival) opened, and tickets are at a premium over the next three weeks.

It seems as if there has been an explosion of activity with children's theatre in Ireland. But on closer inspection, oh dear, there are cracks. "I've just come back from a festival in French speaking Belgium, which has a population of four million - about the same as our own - and they have 36 children's theatre companies," says Martin Drury, director of The Ark. "In Ireland we do not have a single full-time children's theatre company."

There are three full-time "Theatre in Education" companies here: Graffiti in Cork, Team in Dublin, and Replay in Belfast, all with a specific educational remit. There are also theatre companies such as Red Kettle which do children's shows on an occasional basis; but despite the obvious demand for it, funding for children's theatre in Ireland is scarce. "There's a sort of a dividing line between things that happen in spite of public policy, and things that happen due to policy. The developments we have here are largely due to the former, a combination of personal vision and accidents," remarks Drury.

Children's theatre, as with arts for children in general, has suffered a lack of recognition over the years. Children's book writer Siobhan Parkinson has described problems with recognition for children's literature as "part of a general snobbery that relegates children's affairs to some sort of minority interest subcategory . . . . We have, in truth, scant regard for our children."

Nonetheless, there is an ongoing, admirable struggle to offer children access to the arts, with some wonderful, imaginative results. Still, there is a need to develop a more holistic approach. "What we have here is a few exotic plants reaching for the light, but down on the ground there's nothing," Drury says. "We need to look at developing what we have into a more cultivated field. "In Belgium, as with many other European countries, children's theatre companies are bedded in a tradition of services across the board for children - preschool, healthcare, childcare - of which arts is just one element. The social reality of Ireland is, quite simply, we have a lot of catching up to do."

Why bother? What's the big fuss about sending children to the theatre? Anna Cutler, director of Young at Art, says: "My motto is we should be offering the very best to people, from the very beginning of their lives. "Children are an audience in their own right, not simply a future market to cultivate, and they are entitled to excellent quality theatre. Also, it is an enchanting learning medium, through which very complex issues like loneliness are dealt with. "There are a number of incidental skills children learn by going to the theatre too, such as listening skills, sharing skills, watching skills and critical appreciation."

This year, for the first time, the Department of Education and Science grant-aided Baboro. Jean Parkinson, director of the festival, says: "Drama is part of the new curriculum and it is educational, in the same way that theatre is educational for adults. But it should also be valued for the way in which it enriches children's lives. When it is good, it is challenging, exciting and magical. "Children's theatre is a lot more sophisticated now, it is one of the more innovative forms of theatre. It used to have to be `issue' based, about an eco-warrior or something, but it is appreciated more for what it is in itself now, which is an opportunity for children to broaden their horizons, and to see their world reflected back to them in a whole new way."

Parents and teachers increasingly recognise the value of theatre for children. "Last year was the first time we ran the festival here in Belfast", says Cutler, "and I was astonished by the response. There is a tremendous hunger for this sort of thing, but only a sort of piecemeal provision. "Children's theatre is totally underfunded, which makes it difficult for people to set up companies. The standard of the productions is actually remarkably high, especially among Canadians and some European countries. Bringing these companies over gives Irish actors the chance to see what's going on, but it is very difficult for them to bring ideas to fruition. "Part of the problem is a lingering lack of regard for children's theatre. It is still seen as being in some way second rate."

Children's theatre is, says Parkinson, "very, very difficult to do well. Children are a very different audience from adults, you have to engage with them in a different way - shifting the focus from text-based theatre to a more visual, sensory and interactive performance. "And you have to ensure you keep them engaged. If children get bored they'll just announce at the top of their voices they want to leave!

"But on the other hand, they are very accepting of highly imaginative ideas - they'll happily suspend disbelief immediately and become totally engrossed in the story. I just love the enthusiasm they have." While the lack of any overall policy for children's theatre (or arts in general) indicates provision will continue to be a bit of a struggle among the deeply committed, there is a sense that things are moving slowly forward. "There's a climate now for something to develop," says Cutler. "Parents, teachers and, most importantly, children, are very receptive, and a circuit for companies is beginning to emerge."

Parkinson says more needs to be done. "Over the past two years teachers have consistently advised Baboro of the need for teacher-training to enable them to provide children with an enhanced experience of the arts," says Parkinson. "We plan to organise workshops for teachers, and we would also like to expand the outreach programme for schools so there is provision all year round."

"I detect a change of attitude at official level," Drury says. "There are references to children's access to the arts in the new arts plan which the Government is committed to funding, and the value of the arts for children seems finally to be infiltrating the Department of Education. "There is movement, but we still have a long way to go."