Artists and musicians

Sir, – I’m a musician, and this pandemic has inspired much reflection on the future of the arts industry in Ireland.

As an artist, I’m not asking for there to be numerous hand-outs for the industry. I understand the health of the nation is a priority. At the end of the day, not many people go into the arts to make money. It’s about creating something to give back to society. Telling stories. Transporting people to another place. Giving life to your perspective on the world. Helping people process their emotions. Or even giving people a way of distracting themselves from the more difficult parts of life. Doing something that you hope will have a positive impact on people each time you go on stage.

I want to be able to contribute to society. I have not earned money from what I have trained my entire life for since March. I understand there have been plenty of initiatives and grants announced for supporting the arts. I have applied for each one and benefitted from some. Which may make me more fortunate than others.

My career has now gone from being a performer and an artist to being a full-time application writer. Many would say I am privileged to even be in that position.

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I just know I can contribute to society in a much more meaningful way. And I know I am just one of many in a similar situation. I just want there to be an arts industry to come back to, post-pandemic. As a nation we are never more united when one “of our own” gets acknowledged on the world stage.

I just hope there will still be a performance platform suitable for the great wealth of talent present in our arts industry in Ireland. – Yours, etc,

GAVIN BRENNAN.

Dublin 1.