|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
| |
South Tipperary County Development Board
REPORT OF THE CULTURAL WORKING GROUP MEETING
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
Summary
Present - John Dalton (South Tipperary Voluntary Community Group Platform) Chair, Anne Ryan (Tipperary (South Riding) County Enterprise Board), Brendan Maher (South Tipperary Arts Group), Ciaran Lynch (TRBDI), Paul Grisewood (Tipperary Excel), Breda O'Connor (Community and Enterprise Section) and John Quinn (Director of Community and Enterprise)
Apologies - Ronnie Fitzgerald (Clonmel Community Partnership), Pat Holland (Tipperary (South Riding) County Council), Una O’Murchu (Bru Boru)
More than 400 cultural stakeholders have been requested to respond to the initial statements of the Cultural Working Group. There were two divergent views of culture in the responses received to date: culture is about preserving the past and (ii) culture is about facilitating the future. Getting the sector to think strategically about what is needed in South Tipperary and what individual cultural group can deliver is an important challenge which is proposed to be addressed by training, facilitation and website development interventions.
Interactive consultation with the cultural stakeholders will be carried out in January 2001 before the Board begins the ‘visioning’ process. The following groups are to be targeted with focus group discussions and workshops – general performing arts, special visual arts, sport, and cultural preservation (heritage, conservation, environment, Irish language, traditional skills). An additional workshop open to the general public will be focused on the definition of culture and on aspects where the County Strategy can add value to the cultural situation of the county.
The value of the community contribution to culture in South Tipperary is conservatively estimated to be £16,375,000 (‘proxy’ estimation based on research in Slieve Ardagh and West Tipperary). There is a correlation between community spend and the available facilities in the community.
In a review of approaches in other counties, dedicated officers (for Sports, Culture, Arts, Irish language) are perceived to be having a strong impact in attracting resources into the specific county and in improving the delivery of services by the voluntary and public sectors. The Cultural Working Group will return to the topic of dedicated ‘officers’ at a future meeting.
1. Review of Action Items
Stakeholders
Breda reported that the consultative questionnaire had been forwarded to more than 400 stakeholders identified by members of the Cultural Working Group.
Action items - Detailing the list of stakeholders -
- John Dalton - sporting bodies,
- Ronnie Fitzgerald - Teacher enthusiasts (for the Arts)
- Pat Holland - Museums, libraries
- Brendan Maher - Arts groups, artists, writers, festivals
- Anne Ryan - Craft networks, craft workers
- John Quinn - public bodies, community groups
- Breda O'Connor to circulate consultative document and collate responses
Cultural spend in the County
The Chair reported on the survey conducted on the community spend relating to culture in the three Sliabh Ardagh parishes. Excluding funding on capital projects and grants from public bodies, the community groups raised approximately £150,000 per annum to carry out their normal activities. The area population is approximately 6000 – so the revenue community cultural spend works out at £25.00 per capita in the Slieve Ardagh area.
Paul reported on the survey carried out in West Tipperary (Tipperary Town and 10 mile radius – 10 GAA clubs in area). The total revenue spend per annum is £3,150,400 for a population of under 20,000 people. The net community cash contribution to cultural activity is £157.50 per capita.
In comparing Slieve Ardagh with West Tipperary, there is a correlation between cultural spend and the availability of cultural facilities. West Tipperary has a Sports Centre, Swimming Pool, Golf Clubs, racecourse, community radio.
The value of voluntary time is difficult to calculate as it varies in the GAA from a 50 to 1 (cultural spend) ratio to a golf club where it might be 1 to 50 (cultural spend). A 1:1 ratio while clearly underestimating the value of overall voluntary time will be used in calculating community cultural spend.
(Proxy developed from the West Tipperary/Slieve Ardagh research: Based on 50,000 of the South Tipperary population living in areas where there are significant cultural facilities and 25,000 of the population living in areas where there are not significant cultural facilities and including voluntary time (1:1 ratio) the community cultural spend in South Tipperary is estimated at £16,375,000).
A second issue related to capital spend. Some significant projects in the County are:
County Museum (Clonmel) £1,400,000
Bru Boru (Cashel)
Crafts Granary (Cahir) £550,000
Excel Centre (Tipperary)
Arts Centre (Clonmel) (£3,500)
Action Items:
- John Dalton - revenue spend in Glengoole (for 1999)
- Paul Grisewood (revenue spend in Tipperary Town for 1999)
- John Dalton - capital spend of the main sporting bodies (via GAA and national lotto)
- Brendan Maher - Capital spend on Arts (via Arts Council)
- Pat Holland Capital spending on heritage .
- Ronnie Fitzgerald - Partnerships (£1,500 in year 2000 to initiatives)
- Pat Holland - Revenue - Business sponsorship, library budget
- Pat Holland Museum budget (£228,000)
- Anne Ryan - Revenue - support to Crafts
- John Quinn - FAS (£475,000 - annual)
- John Quinn, LEADER II (Tipp Leader - £87,546 capital)
- John Quinn - Local authorities (Arts allocation - £26,000 - revenue) Conservation of Architectural heritage (£67,456.85 - capital)
Identifying the other cultural assets/services
Breda reported on information received from Laois and Kerry. The presence of specific officers for sport (Laois), for culture and the Irish language (Kerry) was perceived to be having an impact both in terms of the county accessing resources and also in terms of influencing local policies and responding to key issues arising from research. The Laois sports research clearly identified the decline in volunteerism, the decline of sport in schools and the need for more coaching expertise. It was agreed to review the impact (in terms of external arts funding into the county) of the South Tipperary Arts approach at the next meeting. The County Council proposes to resource the development of a County Arts Strategy in 2001.
Ann reported that a consultation and research process is currently underway with regard to the County Crafts Plan. This research is likely to be complete by Christmas.
Action Items
- John Dalton - Pubs with a reputation for music (12), set dancing (5 teachers), churches
- Ronnie Fitzgerald - culture of minorities (traveller community) - 2 pilot programmes in history/crafts and performance arts
- Pat Holland - Architectural assets, landscape assets, heritage assets/services (lists of big houses, natural heritage areas, historical societies, heritage centres
- Ciaran Lynch - Cultural Education and Training services
- Brendan Maher - culture in primary schools - what is happening at present; arts publications (Department of education and science have guidelines in arts, drama crafts and music. There is a need for a formal curriculum and for teacher inservice training. There is a special need for awareness raising in relation to the visual arts. Supplementary resoures are music teachers, dance teachers, schools with a tradition of concerts, school plays, etc).
- Anne Ryan - traditional craft cultures (basketmaking in Carrick on Suir, Lumra in Fethard, ICA 3 year textiles skills programme, Post Leaving Certificate Course in Clonmel))
- John Quinn - studies on physical and perceptual skills of young people (study from Professor Aine Hyland sourced and summary distributed - other sources brainstormed - Laois Teacher Training centre, Moll on Oige studies on disadvantaged youth, thesis by Ellen, NCVA initiatives with Cahir VTOS programme - Tina Looby), Mental Health Association - Joe Cunningham (SEHB), remedial teachers do an assessment of ability)
- John Dalton - contact the Mental Health Association
- Breda O'Connor to contact other physical and perceptual groups referred to above.
- Brendan Maher - Sourcing excellence in the arts
- Ronnie Fitzgerald - Sourcing excellence in the schools
- John Dalton - Sourcing excellence in sport
- Pat Holland - identifying quality in the presentation of heritage
- Ann Ryan - identifying quality in crafts
- Ann Ryan - identifying quality in products likely to be sold in country markets
- Breda O'Connor - Laois Co Sports Officer impact
- Brendan Maher - Limerick Co Arts Officer impact
- Brendan Maher to carry our a regional comparison of Arts Council funding into the South East
- Paul Grisewood to circulate the Excel Arts Statement
- Breda O'Connor - Kerry Irish and Cultural Officer impacts
- Ciaran Lynch - lessons from the LEDA methodology
- Brendan Maher - lessons from EU inititives in culture and the media
Summarising strategies
For each strategy - brief summary - activities actions over 5-10 years, who is doing it, how much will it cost, when will it happen, is South Tipperary benefiting more, equal or less by comparison with other counties
Action Items
- John Dalton - Ceolthas,
- Breda O’Connor
- Ronnie Fitzgerald - Community arts, partnerships
- Pat Holland - Local authority (SMI), National Heritage plan, Museum Development Plan
- Ciaran Lynch - Education and training
- Brendan Maher - Arts Council (5 year plan to 2002)
- Anne Ryan - Crafts Council
- John Quinn - LEADER II, Regional Tourism (summaries distributed for Regional Tourist organisation and Co Tipperary Tourism Committee)
Expanding the Cultural Working Group
Action Items
- Ronnie Fitgerald identified a teacher (Michelle Hanafin) prepared who will respond to the outcomes of these meetings
- Breda O'Connor is circulating Cultural Working Group material to the teacher
- Paul Grisewood and Una O’Murchu have agreed to join the Cultural Group
- Breda O’Connor to invite other key people who have sent back responses to the Cultural Consultation document onto the working group.
2. Review of the feedback to the initial consultation document.
Breda circulated the detailed responses to each question. The main issues raised in the discussion included :
- There were two divergent views of culture in the responses received: culture is about preserving the past and (ii) culture is about facilitating the future.
- The need for co-ordination is paramount. Getting the sector to think strategically about what is needed in South Tipperary and what their group can deliver is an important challenge. One approach suggested is that a training programme be held to enable cultural groups develop and specify their plans. If a common template was used to describe the plans, these templates could be incorporated on a website. TRBDI agreed to facilitate the training day (January 20). FAS is to be requested to support the cultural group planning process. The County Development Board will facilitate the web-site.
- There is a need for more interactive consultation to ensure that there is a wider response before the Board begins the ‘visioning’ process. It was agreed to carry out a series of consultations with different cultural interests between January 15 and January 21, 2001. The following groups are to be targeted with focus group discussions and workshops – general performing arts, special visual arts, sport, and cultural preservation (heritage, conservation, environment, Irish language, traditional skills). The crafts sector is being targeted in the preparation of the County Crafts Plan. It was also agreed to spread the venues for the consultation around the county. An additional workshop open to the general public will be focused on the definition of culture and on aspects where the County Strategy can add value to the cultural situation of the county.
- Promotion of culture to the general public was also identified as a critical issue. A cultural fair could be used to promote culture at a later phase of consultation on culture.
Action Items:
- Ciaran Lynch to arrange programme and venue for training day for cultural groups
- Breda O’Connor and John Dalton to promote the ‘training day’ to cultural groups
- Ann to liaise with FAS re further support in developing cultural group plans
- John Quinn to liaise with all group members in the preparation of the consultation week programme
- Paul Grisewood to chair the Performing arts consultation process (Tipperary venue)
- Brendan Maher to chair the visual arts consultation process (Clonmel venue)
- John Dalton to chair the Sports/Recreation consultation process (Fethard Venue)
- Pat Holland to chair the cultural preservation consultation process (Cahir Venue)
- Una O’Murchu to chair general public consultation process (Cashel Venue)
- Breda O’Connor to prepare the publicity material for the consultation
- John Quinn to request facilitators from South Tipperary Voluntary Group Platform and the Local development Groups to facilitate and reportthe consultations
- John Quinn to draft a cultural review report for the County Development Board to include the output of the Cultural Group meetings and member reports and reports on the consultation with stakeholders.
Next Meeting
It was agreed to have the next meeting in February 2001.
|
|
 |
|
 |
What are CDBs? | The Directors | Links | Documents | Strategy Statements | Home |
|
|
