Sir, - The new All Ireland project to promote the island as a choice holiday destination appears to be a quite ingenious plan (November 12th). The new logo, the video footage of the island's most dramatic scenes (the Cliffs of Moher and the Skelligs, for example), and the soundtrack of the Cranberries' Dreams, will combine to present a compelling image of Irish identity one that will appeal far and wide to those who seek the clean, green, and emotional holiday experience.
Yet which of these images may be the key driver of visitors to visit Eire? It might be argued that Ireland's aural image - its music - is a prime lure of people to the island. Listeners across the globe can attest to passions that are triggered by the sean nos, to minds that run wildly to the lilting tune of the fiddle, to blood that impulses to the beat to the bodhran.
To many, Ireland's music is her emblem; it is the essence of the Irish spirit. Where else in the world can the soul feed on such lyricism as that found in Ireland's music (particularly as it is performed live within the Irish context - in its pubs, clubs, and concert halls)?
Perhaps Ireland is having its heyday as a tourist mecca, and the new All Ireland promotion will buoy it for a while. Bord Failte warned, however, that it would be "naive and complacent in the extreme" to assume that such a pattern of successes could automatically continue on its own. Could it be that a guarantee for the continuation of Ireland's attraction to foreigners depends in no small degree upon the continued support and development of its young musicians?
Enter MEND, the purpose of my own most recent visit. Launched by the Dublin Institute of Technology in 1994 and guided by Frank Heneghan, pianist, professor, and director of the institute's College of Music, the Music Education National Debate (MEND) concerns itself with the availability, uniformity and continuity of education in music for children and adolescents of schoolgoing age. Its intent is to offer "music for all" through the teaching of professional musicians and educators in every primary and secondary school in the land.
Heneghan and his forum are probing the surprising disparity between the musical riches in the community and the impoverished state of music tuition in the schools. They are exploring ways to ensure that every young person in Ireland may carry his (her) musical heritage in his (her) ear, voice, fingers, and feet - and in his (her) soul.
No longer should the elite alone - or those only related by blood to musicians - receive lessons on the uilleann pipes, the piano, or the fiddle/violin, nor should only a small fraction of the population come to know the rich repertoire of Celtic and Anglo Irish ballads. The collective wisdom of the MEND group is recommending the study of Irish heritage music, such that children can perform and also appreciate the performances of others more expert than themselves - the truly "national treasures".
I am compelled to raise the flag for music as emblematic of the Irish soul, and to underscore what I see as a direct correlation between the long range vision of the All Ireland plan for tourism and the MEND view of continuous education in music for all of its young people. For it is through education that Ireland can preserve and build upon its reputation as one of the great musical cultures in the world. - Yours, etc.,
Professor of Music,
University of Washington, 11345 Exeter Avenue, NY,
Seattle, WA 98125, US.