An Chomhairle Ealaíon

An Séú Tuarascáil Bhliantúil is Fiche, maille le Cuntais don bhliain dar chríoch 31ú Nollaig 1977. Tíolacadh don Rialtas agus leagadh faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas de bhun Altanna 6 [3] agus 7 [1] den Acht Ealaíon 1951.

Twenty-Sixth Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st December 1977. Presented to the Government and laid before each House of the Oireachtas pursuant to Section 6 [3] and 7 [1] of the Arts Act, 1951.

Front Cover: Multiple image of a sculpture ceramic, by Pat Connor, purchased by the Council

An Chomhairle Ealaíon was set up by the Arts Acts 1951 and 1973 and consists of a chairman and not more than sixteen other members appointed by the Taoiseach. The present Council was appointed on 31st December 1973 and its term of office expires in 1978.

The principal role of' the Council is to stimulate public interest in the arts; to promote the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts; and to assist in improving the standards of the arts.

The Council also acts as an adviser on artistic matters to the Government and Government Departments and is one of the four bodies which have a statutory duty to make representations to local authorities in connection with applications for planning permission in areas of special amenity throughout the country.

The Council receives an annual grant-in-aid from the Oireachtas.

In the Arts Acts, the expression 'the arts' means painting, sculpture, architecture, music, drama, cinema, literature, design in industry, and the fine arts and applied arts generally.

Members (Left to right) Patrick J. Rock, Chairman Kathleen Barrington John Behan

Brian Boydell Tom Caldwell Máire de Paor Andrew Devane Eilís Dillon

Séamus Heaney Dr J.B. Kearney Patsy Lawlor

Hugh Maguire Sean Ó Tuama Brian Quinn Richard Stokes

Dr T.J. Walsh James White

Staff Director Colm Ó Briain Administration Officer David McConnell Literature and Film Officer David Collins Music Officer Dinah Molloy Visual Arts Officer Paula McCarthy Secretarial Assistants Veronica Barker Kathryn Cahille Patricia Molloy Margaret 0 Rahilly 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 764685.

An ChomhaırleEalaíon

Rosc '77; Alberto Brasi, "Sculpture with moving forms"

Chairman's Introduction

While the year under review was one of improving economic circumstances generally, adverse effects were still experienced by a variety of arts organisations, as is evident from the body of this Report. Survival continues to be the theme and what follows is largely a record of achievement tempered by occasional casualties. Yet throughout there runs the realisation of a need for a major structural change that requires far larger resources than are currently available.

At the same time very fundamental questions are now being asked by both public and private sponsors. They want to know why it is necessary to increase subsidies when the public interest in some activities seems to be wanting, or when standards seem to be changing. In the commercial world, if the demand for a particular product or service cannot be sustained through adequate purchases, the product or service will be deemed to have failed and it will be replaced by something that will command the support of the marketplace. Arts subsidies can be justified if they enable increasing numbers to avail of cultural experiences just as social subsidies can be justified if they enable increasing numbers to use public transport, for example. But if the ratio between the subsidy and the 'fare' continues to worsen then inevitably a crunch will come. It is necessary therefore that those organisations in receipt of public monies should continually assess public demand, otherwise they are actually preventing the innovation that would otherwise have to take place.

Cycles of decline have long been recognised in the commercial world and they are due to changes in public taste. We will always eat food but the method of preparation and presentation will continue to vary and those who assess accurately these changing demands will be most successful. Similarly in the world of the arts. Music, theatre and visual arts will always be in demand but innovation in presentation will influence the extent of that demand and the preparedness of individual citizens to put their hands in their pockets. So I believe it behoves those who can influence the presentation of various art forms to use their undoubted creativity to communicate more effectively with the man in the street. Over the last two years there has been a distinct shift in the allocation of resources between Dublin and the rest of the country. This process must accelerate if a truly national public for all the arts is to be created and maintained. The success of this policy is largely dependent on the rate of growth of the Council's own resources. Regional development cannot be financed by closing down theatres in Dublin, thereby denying a livelihood to the majority of our professional actors, directors and technicians.

Although the Council's bursary scheme provides direct assistance to individuals, there is still the much larger question of how best a reasonable standard of living for our artists, writers and musicians can be secured. Otherwise the arts will not attract the undoubted talents that do exist and the public will not enjoy the cultural benefits which should make a much larger contribution to our everyday lives. Most of our freelance artists find it impossible to maintain themselves and their families by their creative work alone, and the Council's bursary programme provides only a short term and highly selective easing of financial difficulties. There is a need for an approach that would secure for the full-time artist the equivalent of an average wage, without him having always to undergo the rather painful process of competing time and again for a handful of awards.

There is also a desperate need for new buildings to house the arts, particularly at local level. It is only right that local communities should expect and receive the benefits of a subsidy to which they, as taxpayers, have contributed. While there has been a remarkable growth in local arts festivals, and in the activities of our national touring companies, further development is being seriously hindered by the dearth of suitable venues for performance and exhibition and by the lack of adequate finance to provide for the administration of those premises already in existence. There is a real need now for a partnership between the Arts Council, as the national body, and the local authorities, whereby the Arts Council will ensure the development of relevant professional

companies and the local authority will ensure the existence of suitable venues equipped and managed to accommodate them. It should be stressed that no matter how effective the Arts Council is in securing increased funds, unless this is matched by a genuine commitment at local authority level our cultural development will continue to lag behind. The Arts Council will give all reasonable support and guidance to local authorities who are prepared to take an initiative.

The slow pace of regional development, the low standard of living for creative artists and the lack of capital finance are clear evidence that the Council has not yet succeeded in acquiring the resources that would allow such developments to come into perspective. Nevertheless, there are indications that the Government is beginning to realise the extent and nature of the problems facing the arts in Ireland. There is hope for the future in the fact that there has been a significant growth in the funds, responsibilities and influence of the Arts Council since the passage of the Arts Act 1973. What developments there have been were actively encouraged by the former Taoiseach, Mr. Liam Cosgrave, T.D. In thanking him for his interest and support of the Council's work, I and my colleagues would like to take this opportunity of welcoming his successor, Mr. Jack Lynch, T.D., who has already demonstrated an active and sympathetic interest in our affairs. We are also indebted to Mr. Dan O'Sullivan, Secretary, Department of the Taoiseach and Mr. Richard Stokes, Principal Officer and member of the Council for their helpful guidance and encouragement.

I should also like to acknowledge the very useful contacts that have continued to develop between ourselves and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for having made possible developments which if pursued separately would have taken place more slowly or not at all.

Finally, I would like to convey my most sincere appreciation to the members of the Council and to the staff. Our responsibilities have grown substantially in recent years both for evolving and implementing new policies as well as for taking difficult and often unpopular decisions regarding grant allocations. The quality of the public service rendered by the members, on a voluntary basis, deserves the highest recognition and I would here like to pay my humble tribute to them. The team that is the staff, led by the Director, Colm Ó Briain, illustrates the level of productivity that can be achieved in Ireland under an enlightened and dedicated leadership. As long as the Council can create an environment in which the staff can get on with the job, the arts will be very well served indeed.

Patrick J. Rock September, 1978.

Report

In 1977, for the first time in its twenty-six year history, the Arts Council's annual grant-in-aid was in excess of one million pounds. While this figure may have a certain symbolic significance, it does not hold out the promise of a new deal for the arts in Ireland. Ironically, during the year under review, the Council applied to the Taoiseach for a supplementary grant to avert serious redundancies in major organisations. Although this estimate was granted, albeit in part, the indications are that the gap between what is received and what is required by the Council continues to widen.

From a cursory comparison of the total grant for 1977 (£1.2 million) with the funds in 1976 (£990,000) it might appear that the 21% increase in allocation should have been sufficient to tide arts organisations over short-term difficulties. However, there are three main reasons why this apparently generous increase falls completely short of their actual requirements. In the first place, a proper level of funding has never been provided for arts activities, either at local or at national level. A continual history of underfinancing has led to a precarious reliance by grant-aided bodies on bank borrowing, so much so that a significant proportion of the Council's funds must now be used to meet interest charges. Secondly, inflation in the arts negated the value of most of the increased allocations granted during the year. Finally, the number of organisations applying to the Council for support continues to grow, thereby increasing competition for already inadequate resources. In these circumstances it is difficult even to contemplate the major developments that must be undertaken before arts activities can be financed in a manner commensurate with their needs. The present expenditure of the Arts Council in Ireland works out at about 50p per head of population per year, while the per capita expenditure of our nearest neighbours is as follows: Northern Ireland-78p; England-89p; Scotland- £1.14; Wales-£l.41.

It is against such a background that this Report should be read. Certain developments have been achieved by postponing or curtailing existing activities. Nowhere was this more evident than in the controversial decision to cut- back funds for the Dublin Theatre Festival, where the savings made were redistributed in favour of regional arts activities and touring companies. Both the Irish Theatre Company and the Irish Ballet Company were encouraged to extend their touring capacity, and the Council's own programme of small-scale touring exhibitions under-went a modest expansion. The commitment to regional development of the arts was also demonstrated by the appointment of a full-time Arts Officer with the Mid-West Arts Association (Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary) with the Council contributing half the salary and expenses involved.

In order to finance new developments the Council must from time to time enter into partnership with other bodies. The Writers' Workshop held each year in University College, Galway and the Council's annual Film Script Award rely heavily on the financial commitment of University College, Galway and Radio Telefís Éireann respectively. In the visual arts many of the major exhibitions directly promoted by the Council could not take place without matching finance from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. While these opportunities for partnership are very welcome, it has sometimes been necessary for the Council to resort to exceptional measures in order to realise certain objectives. The appointment of an Education Officer is a case in point. For some years now the status of the arts in education has been a cause of great concern to the Council, but the Government embargo on additional jobs in the public sector meant that the Council had to look elsewhere for funds to finance this much-needed appointment. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation agreed to fund the post of Education Officer for a period of two years from 1st January 1978. This Foundation, it may be remembered, previously assisted the Council with the report Provision for the Arts, published in 1976, which remains the single most comprehensive study of the arts in Ireland ever produced.

The Council's bursary programme for individual artists received a welcome stimulus with a gift of £25,000 from Marten Toonder, a Dutch author.

resident in Ireland since 1966. A trust fund has been established to finance an annual rotating award in literature, the visual arts and music. Another instance of development undertaken at no cost to the exchequer was the creation of the Irish Film Theatre, a subsidiary company of the Council. The Company leased a cinema in Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, and commenced operation in March. By December it was commercially self-sufficient, having repaid in full an initial interest-free loan.

Under the Arts Act, 1951, the Council is charged with a responsibility to advise the Government and Government Departments on artistic matters. During the year the views of the Council were conveyed to the Government on a variety of topics. These included the proposed development of a concert hall at Earlsfort Terrace. The Council expressed the view that the venue should be managed by an independent body and not dominated by sectional interests.

Early in the year the tax-free status enjoyed by creative artists resident in Ireland appeared to be threatened as a result of criticism expressed in the European Parliament, and subsequently in Dáil Éireann. The Council's view was that it would be a tragedy if the imaginative legislation enacted in 1969, were repealed, since in the vast majority of cases it benefits artists who would not otherwise have an opportunity to follow their careers. It is believed that about 90% of the applications for tax-exemption are in respect of earnings of less than £1,000, and the Council argued that it would be unfortunate if a small benefit to a large number of artists were removed on account of the large benefit enjoyed by the very few.

Delays in reaching a decision as to the future of Annaghmakerrig House, County Monaghan, continue to frustrate the creation of a residential retreat for artists. This was the home of the late Sir Tyrone Guthrie, who bequeathed it to the Minister for Finance for use as a centre for artists. The controversy surrounding the proposed office development at Wood Quay was considered at length by the Council. Representations were made to Dublin

The Arts on Tour

Corporation in order to ensure that meaningful excavation of the site could continue.

Tá polasaí dhá-theangach ag an gComhairle Ealaíon, agus is i gcúrsaí litríochta is mó a bhíonn an polasaí seo le sonrú. Bíonn deontaisí litríochta á thairiscint ag an gComhairle ar na coinníollacha céanna do scríbhneoirí Béarla agus Gaeilge, agus sa bhliain 1977 bronnadh deontaisí ar Eoghan Ó Tuairisc agus ar Seán Ó Leocháin. Maraon le seo, ghnóthaigh Tomás Mac Síomóin duais £600 ar son Damhna agus Dánta Eile a foilsíodh ag Sairséal & Dill (1974). Níl baint ag an gComhairle leis an bhfoilsitheoireacht Ghaeilge faoi láthair, toisc go bhfuil scéim deontaisí ann cheana féin a reachtálann Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge, faoi choimirce Roinn na Gaeltachta. Tugann an Chomhairle deontas do thaispeántas ealaíne an Oireachtais agus ó am go chéile tugtar deontaisí d'eagraisí eile Gaeilge le haghaidh imeachtaí ealaíne. I mbliana, cur i gcás, fuair Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann cabhair speisialta i leith Cultúrlann na hÉireann, mar a mbeidh cartlann de cheol traidisiúnta na tíre.

Literature

The newly established Marten Toonder Award, value £2,500, was this year offered in Literature. The poet John Montague, who is currently working on a series of translations from modern French poetry, was the first recipient. In addition, bursaries worth £8,500 were awarded to five writers, to enable them to concentrate on new work or to complete work already in progress. Eoghan Ó Tuairisc received a bursary of £2,500 to enable him undertake research for a play based on the life and times of the blind Irish harper, Ó Cearbhalann. The same amount was given to Dermot Healy to complete a collection of poems and various works of fiction. Bursaries of £1,500 each were awarded to M. J. Molloy and Desmond Hogan. M. J. Molloy is currently working on some new plays and Desmond Hogan travelled abroad to complete a new novel. In addition, a travel grant was awarded to John Banville to assist with the research involved in a new novel. Unfortunately, he was unable to take up the award at the time. During the year a number of other travel grants were made to writers. As part of a cultural exchange with Scotland, two Scottish writers participated in Listowel Writers' Week, and two Irish writers, John Feeney and Sean Walsh, visited Scotland. In addition the Irish poet Seán Ó Leocháin attended the Welsh Eisteddfod, with the assistance of a travel grant.

In October, a Writers-in-Schools programme was inaugurated. Initially it is being offered on an experimental basis to secondary, vocational and comprehensive schools in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary. A directory has been prepared which lists over 120 writers working in both English and Irish, who are willing to read from and discuss their work with classes. Copies of the directory were circulated to schools within the pilot area and teachers can invite any writer listed. Half the writer's fee and all the travelling expenses are met by the Council. The scheme has the formal approval of the Department of Education and if the results are encouraging it is intended to offer the service subsequently to second-level schools throughout Ireland.

The Council's second annual writers' workshop ran from October to December. Organised in association with the Board of Extra-mural Studies UCG, the workshop gives writers with a body of work-in-progress an opportunity of concentrating on their writing under the guidance of an established writer. This year's course, which for the first time included two residential weeks in Galway, was conducted by poet and novelist Anthony Cronin.

Continuing co-operation with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland enabled the Council to maintain and develop its support of a wide variety of publishing ventures. Two short-story collections by Poolbeg Press were jointly grant-aided, Bryan Mac Mahon's The End of the World and Maura Treacy's first collection Sixpence in Her Shoe, and three magazines were also jointly supported, Books Ireland, The Crane Bag and Cyphers. The four main publishing enterprises supported by the Council are the Dolmen Press, Gallery Press, Poolbeg Press and the Irish Writers' Co-operative, which between them are providing the main outlets for native fiction and poetry. The Society of Irish Playwrights were assisted with four new plays in their current series which are due to be published in 1978.

The Council's subvention to publishers of contemporary Irish literature is generally couched in terms of either grants- in-aid or guarantees against loss. A new variety of subsidy was introduced in 1977, when a short-term interest-free loan was provided for Poolbeg Press in respect of Yarns, a collection of short stories by John Jordan.

Presses £ Dolmen Press 2,200 Seamus Deane (Rumours) Michael Hartnett (Selected Poems) James Liddy (Corca Bascinn) Aidan Mathews (Windfalls)

Gallery Press 2,000 Henry Clifden (The Walls of Carthage) John Ennis (Dolmen Hill) Brian Lalor / Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin (Cork) Tom Murphy (Famine) Desmond O'Grady (Sing Me Creation)

Goldsmith Press 750 Era 4 Patrick Kavanagh (By Night Unstarred)

Irish Writers' Co-op 1,200 Leland Bardwell (Girl on a Bicycle) Ronan Sheehan (Tennis Players) The Mongrel Fox

New Writers' Press 250 Gerard Smyth (World Without End)

O'Brien Press 250 Alf Mac Lochlainn (Out of Focus) Poolbeg Press 1,000 John Jordan (Yams) Benedict Kiely (A Journey to the Seven Streams) Maura Treacy (Sixpence in Her Shoe)

Profile Press 100 John F. Deane (Stalking After Time)

Magazines Books Ireland 750 Crane Bag 500 Cyphers 300 Graphein 30 Irish University Review 1,000 Stony Thursday Book 130

Bursaries in Creative Writing Dermot Healy 2,500 Desmond Hogan 1,500 M.J. Molloy 1,500 Eoghan Ó Tuairisc 2,500

Travel Grants John Banville (500) John Feeney 200 Sean Ó Leocháin 200 Sean Walsh 200

Other Grants North Cork Writers' Festival 50 Society of Irish Playwrights 400 Tomás Mac Síomóin (Irish Poetry Award) 600 Writers' Workshop, University College, Galway 3,000 Yeats' Society, Sligo 300 £23,410

Derek Chapman and David By me in "Equus" at the Gate Theatre.

Drama

Maintaining employment in the theatre and in the performing arts generally is the most difficult task facing the Council at present. The initial allocations made this year were not sufficient to cover increased labour costs in some of the major companies. This was one of the main factors which led the Council to seek a supplementary estimate from the Taoiseach.

Similar considerations were involved in the decision to reduce the grant-in-aid to the Dublin Theatre Festival from £35,000 in 1976 to £11,500 in 1977. This decision, taken with the greatest reluctance, resulted in the Festival being presented on a total budget of £39,000, including a contribution of £7,000 from Dublin Corporation. Nevertheless, within such severe financial limitations the organisers succeeded in presenting a main programme of seventeen plays. Among the Irish plays premiered were Tom Kilroy's Talbot's Box, Peter Sheridan's The Liberty Suit, and Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's Aisling Mhic Artain. During the year a tripartite committee representative of the Festival, Dublin Corporation and the Arts Council was established to consider how best the future funding, administration and artistic policy of the Festival could be developed.

Attendance figures for the Abbey during the year averaged 70% and the programme featured a number of revivals, including Denis Johnston's The Old Lady Says 'No', Sean O'Casey's Cock-a-Doodle Dandy, and Tom Murphy's The Morning After Optimism. Other notable presentations included Brian Friel's Living Quarters, Tom Stoppard's Travesties, Edna O'Brien's A Pagan Place and Brian Moore's The Emperor of Ice-Cream, adapted for the stage by Bill Morrison. Tom Kilroy's festival success Talbot's Box transferred from the Abbey to the Royal Court Theatre, London, for four weeks in November and December. The Abbey also played host to two companies during the year; the Irish Ballet Company had a one week season in June, and the Schiller Theatre, Berlin presented Waiting for Godot in April. Attendances figures at the Peacock averaged 65% and the new Irish plays performed included Tom Mclntyre's Find the Lady and Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's Aisling Mhic Artain. There were also a number of, plays designed specially for younger audiences, Sean Walsh's Manus and the Mighty Dragon, adapted from a text by Lady Gregory, Bill Morrison's Conn and the Conquerors of Space, and two shows by TEAM, the theatre-in-education group.

At the Gate Theatre, the Edwards-MacLiammóir productions included two classic plays, Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and Shaw's Major Barbara. The highlight of the season was their production of Peter Shaffer's Equus, which drew the largest audiences ever in the history of the Gate. Under an agreement with the Council, the Edwards- MacLiammoir Company provides the use of the theatre for six months to independent theatre managements. Two such managements were in residence during 1977. Richard Hallinan ambitiously produced Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy The Norman Conquests, which like Equus enjoyed a considerable degree of both critical and popular success, and Gemini Productions presented The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt.

The Irish Theatre Company, established in 1974 to fill the void left by the decline of the "fit-up" theatres of a previous generation, continued to expand its touring programme during 1977. The 1976-77 programme consisted of seven major productions, two lunchtime shows, two children's plays, a beach show, a puppet show, and a number of play readings held in association with the Society of Irish Playwrights. Unfortunately, the company had to disband for four months in 1977 due to lack of funds. Having reassembled in the Autumn, the ITC relied on two classic plays, Shakespeare's As You Like It and O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock and the company was invited to Belfast in November for the Queen's Festival. During 1977 the company gave employment to thirty-five actors and twenty-seven other personnel.

Although the Irish Theatre Company is engaged in a touring programme embracing provincial towns throughout Ireland, there is a great need to develop full-time resident theatre in the regions. The Everyman Playhouse programme for 1977 included Entertaining Mr. Sloane, The King of Friday's Men and Absurd Person Singular, spiced with a variety of

John Molloy as Matt Talbot in "Talbot 's Box " by Thomas Kilroy at the Peacock Theatre (premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival) performances from visiting companies. These included She Stoops to Conquer (Irish Theatre Company) and Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Temba Theatre Company, London). Through its own productions, Everyman provides an opportunity for local non-professional actors, directors, designers and technicians. It remains to be seen whether or not the Everyman experiment will result in a professionally based regional theatre company.

Druid Theatre Company in Galway was founded in 1975 and it is the only company performing regularly in English in the West. At present it has an average of six full-time members who between them fulfill all the administrative functions of the Druid Company, as well as directing, acting, lighting and designing. During 1977 Druid performed for twenty-five weeks, mounting a variety of evening and lunchtime shows, including Charles Dyer's Mother Adam, Paul Foster's Tom Paine, Synge's In the Glens of Rathvanna, which played during Listowel Writers' Week and The Pursuit of Pleasure-The World of Oscar Wilde which was scripted by the Company Druid's summer session of Anglo Irish plays consisted of George Fitzmaurice's There are Tragedies and Tragedies, and Synge's The Playboy of the Western World.

In 1977 a bursary scheme for apprentice theatre producers was introduced and three scholarships, value £2,500 each, were awarded to Paul Brennan, John O'Mahony and Donald Taylor-Black. These bursaries are being made available in association with the Abbey Theatre and the Irish Theatre Company and are tenable for two years. The holders are working full time with the Abbey Theatre and the Irish Theatre Company, with occasional secondment to other organisations.

Although the main problems besetting the theatre today are economic rather than artistic in nature there is some evidence that the extent of the problem is now being recognised. The proposal by Irish Actor's Equity that the theatre industry was entitled to payments under the Employment Incentive Scheme was accepted in November by the Department of Labour. However, lack of funds for reasonable development means that budgets for production are being seriously eroded. This in time must lead to a decline in both the range and quality of work produced. Public subsidy must do more than merely prevent redundancies: it must also allow companies to run the risk of presenting new and challenging work.

£ Abbey and Peacock Theatre 440,295 Gate Theatre 125,000 Irish Theatre Company 134,000 Dublin Theatre Festival 11,500

Cork: Everyman Playhouse 13,000 Dublin: Focus Theatre 5,000 Dublin: Gemini Productions 5,000 Dublin: Olympia Theatre Restoration Fund 14,355* Galway: Druid Theatre 3,000 Play Circle 207 Roscommon Amateur Drama Festival 500 Siamsa Tíre 700 Apprentice Theatre Producer Bursaries: Paul Brennan 600 John O'Mahony 600 Donald Taylor-Black 600 £754,357

*This grant was made by Dublin County Council and paid through the Arts Council under Section 12 of the Arts Act, 1973.

Irish Theatre Company, "As You Like It"

FILM

As noted in last year's Report, the Arts Council has established a subsidiary, The Irish Film Theatre, one of whose functions is the presentation of a year-round programme of films that might not otherwise be released in Ireland. In January a 240 seat cinema m St Stephen's Green House, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin was leased for this purpose and commenced operation in March. By December the venture had established itself as a spectacular success, with a membership of over 5,000 and a total attendance of nearly 60,000. In addition to a wide variety of main features, the Irish Film Theatre programme also included a number of special seasons devoted to the work of individual directors, and a series of lectures and trims illustrating the development of the silent cinema. The co-operation of cultural institutes and embassies was also in evidence, with Soviet, Spanish and Italian film weeks, together with contributions from the Goethe Institut, the American Embassy and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

In August, a Federation of Irish Film Societies was formed, with the aim of encouraging the development of film societies throughout the country. By December, with the assistance of the Council, it had doubled its original membership of six and was catering for the needs of 2,000 film-goers in ten counties.

The Council's first annual Film Script Award, value £11,000, was won by Bob Quinn and Colm Bairéad for a script entitled Poitín. Shooting was completed during the Summer in Connemara, and the film, which features Cyril Cusack, Niall Tóibín and Donal McCann, is due to be released early in 1978. The dialogue is in Irish and the production received additional financial assistance from Roinn na Gaeltachta, Gaeltarra Éireann and the Ireland Fund. The Council's second Film Script Award, value £12,000 was advertised in this year, and like its predecessor is financed in association with RTE. In addition, the National Film Studios of Ireland offer technical facilities to assist with the successful entry. As in previous years, the Council continued to encourage amateur film-making by supporting the festivals and competition organised by the National Film Institute, Carlow Amateur Moviemakers and the Dublin Cine Club.

£ Ballyfermot Community Arts Workshop 500 Carlow Amateur Moviemakers 199 Cinegael (Film Script Award) 11,000 Dublin Cine Club 100 Federation of Irish Film Societies 1,000 National Film Institute1 175 £12,974

Irish Ballet Company, "Lugh ofthe Golden Arm"

Music

A career in music generally involves performance and teaching. Uniess opportunities for professional engagements are encouraged, many freelance musicians will be denied a reasonable living and forced into other employment. There is no shortage of music clubs and societies to organise such events, but the demand for these concerts has far outstripped the Council's capacity to meet the small losses involved—on average about £100 for each concert. The Council's subvention is aimed at enabling these voluntary organisations to pay professional musicians a reasonable fee for their work, as the increasing costs of promotion cannot be met by box-office revenue alone.

A highiight of thé year was thé visit in March of the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra which gave concerts in Dublin, Gaiway, Limerick and Cork. The Orchestra was conducted by its permanent director Boris Brott, and the soloists included Bernadette Greevy, and the violinists Mayumi Fujikawa (Japan) and Dong Suk Kang (Korea). This was the Orchestra's first tour outside Britain. The Dublin concert was held at the Royal Dublin Society which also hosted the Czech Philharmonie Orchestra in November, with John O'Conor as soloist.

1977 was the Silver Jubilee year ofCeo! Chumann na nÓg, which arranges orchestral concerts for schoolchiïdren, supplemented by illustrated lectures on musical topics. During 1976-77, fourteen concerts were organised in conjunction with RTE, six of which were given by the RTE Symphony Orchestra and eight by the RTE Light Orchestra. While principally attended by pupils from thé Dublin area, schools from Cavan, Carlow, Down, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath and Monaghan aiso participated. Over the last twenty-fîve years the Cumann has promoted more than 300 major concerts for over 170,000 chiidren. A brief explanatory introduction to the music and instruments of the orchestra is a special feature of these concerts.

Choral music is growing in popularity each year, and standards continue to improve with thé growth of professional and amateur orchestras and ensembles. Performances of Mendeissohn's St Paul, Music with the Dublin Training Orchestra were organised in Dublin and Wicklow by the Wicklow Choral Society. Our Lady's Choral Society performed Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Dublin with thé New Irish Chamber Orchestra and visited Mullingar for a choral concert organised by thé Mullingar Choral Society. Other notable performances included Handel's Samson (Thé Waterford Singers), Brahm's Requiem and Nänie, Dvorak's Te Deum, (St James's Gate Musical Society), and Brahm's Requiem, promoted by Tallaght Choral Society in conjunction with the Dublin Baroque Players.

An ambitious séries of seven récitals commenced in July in Dublin, which presented thé complete cycle of Mozart's twenty-one piano concertos, performed by the New Irish Chamber Orchestra with the virtuose pianist Micheàl O'Rourke. The works were not presented in order of composition but were grouped variousiy to show how favourably Mozart's early concertos compare with his later, better known work. Thé annual Bach Cantata séries in St Ann's Church in Dublin, directed by John Beckett and performed by thé New Irish Chamber Orchestra and thé Cantata Singers was again supported by the Council. The Killarney Bach Festival, now in its seventh year, was held in July and featured Lynda Russell, soprano (England), Keith Jones, tenor (Wales), and Claus Ocker, bass (Germany). Their participation, together with thé growing number of visitors who corne each year, is an indication of the reputation which thé Festival now enjoys.

The Council has a special interest in the developrnent of contemporary Irish music. Unfortunately, it does not have the funds available to improve signifîcantly recording opportunities for composers. However, assistance was given to the recently established Association of Irish Composers for the promotion of a concert in St Catherine's Church, Dublin, in June. The programme consisted of new and recent work by Seoirse Bodiey, John Buckley, David Byers, Jerome de Bromhead, John Kinsella, Jane O'Leary and Gérard Victory. The aims of the Association are the promotion of Irish musical composition, an improvement in the status of the

composer and a greater appreciation of twentieth century music generally. The Council has as yet very little involvement in traditional music, although for the last two years the Willie Clancy Summer School in Clare has been assisted. This imbalance was corrected to some extent when a substantial grant was made to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to help with the debt on their new premises in Monkstown, Co. Dublin, which will include a traditional music archive.

Some of last year's scholarship winners performed at a special concert in the National Gallery, Dublin, which was attended by concert promoters from Dublin and the regions. After the concert the 1977 awards were announced, marking the second year of the Arts Council's music scholarship scheme. This year forty-six young musicians were auditioned and nine scholarships, totalling £10,000 were awarded. These awards are intended to bridge the gap between completion of full-time studies and entering a playing career. The recipients included nine year old Daire Fitzgerald who will study with the renowned cellist Rostropovich. Her scholarship of £3,000, payable over three years, is designed to help defray the substantial expenses her family must meet in order to maintain her while she receives tuition. A three-year scholarship was also awarded to Gwyneth Hughes which will enable her to accept tuition offered to her by James Galway. Awards of £1,000 were made to two other flautists, Niamh Cusack and Brian Dunning (who specialises in jazz)—and to Geraldine Malone (oboe) who was one of last year's scholarship holders. Assistance with fees was given to Pauline Buckley (flute), Robert Lyons (bassoon) and Una Lawlor (violin).

The development of cultural links between Ireland and the international music world is necessary if we are to provide the best opportunities for our musicians. To this end the Council has provided a guide to Irish concert artists for use by international concert promoters. Early in the year a cultural delegation from Ireland was invited to the Hague to discuss cultural exchanges of various kinds and as a consequence of this meeting, the Baroque Trio from Amsterdam performed in Dublin in November. The Council also assisted a chamber music recital in the Royal Irish Academy of Music given by students from the Paris Conservatoire, to be reciprocated later by the visit of an Irish ensemble to Paris.

The founding of a European Community Youth Orchestra which will perform in the major cities of the Community in 1978, creates further possibilities for cultural exchange. The Irish auditions were organised in November by the Council and they produced sixty-five candidates, of whom nine were selected for the orchestra. Daire Fitzgerald, Music Scholarship winner, 1977

Scholarships £

Pauline Buckley (flute) 400 Niamh Cusack (flute) 1,000 Brian Dunning (flute) 1,000 Daire Fitzgerald (cello) 3,000 Gwyneth Hughes (flute) 3,000 Una Lawlor (violin) 300 John Lyons (bassoon) 300 Geraldine Malone (oboe) 1,000 £10,000

Orchestras, Instrumental Ensembles BBC Welsh Orchestra 1,200 Capriol Consort 100 Douglas Gunn Ensemble 264 Dublin Baroque Players 600 Henry Purcell Consort 2,181 New Irish Chamber Orchestra 2,500

Concerts Association of Irish Composers 700 Cairde na Cruite 250 Clonakilty Music Society 225 Concorde 200 Cork Orchestral Society 1,400 Carlow Music Club 399 Drogheda Arts Group 200 Dublin Jazz Club 150 Galway Music Association 857 Kinsale Music Society 146 Limerick Music Association 2,550 Music Association of Ireland 1,650 Orion Promotions, Thurles 50 Portlaoise Music Club 277 Water ford Music Club 521

Choral Society Corrib Singers 104 Our Lady's Choral Society 900 Mullingar Choral Society 600 St James's Gate Musical Society 750 Tallaght Choral Society 437 Waterford Singers 300 Wicklow Choral Society 390

Festivals Arklow Music Festival 358 Ballina Music Festival 300 Feis Ceoil, Dublin 1,000 Feis Ceoil, Sligo 293 Festival in Great Irish Houses 500 Festival of 20th Century Music 2,500 Killarney Bach Festival 1,150 May in Monkstown 57

Educational Association of Irish Musical Societies 200 Cork Youth Orchestra 750 Ceol Chumann na nÓg 2,465 Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann 6,000 Cork Municipal School of Music 746 Dublin Chamber Music Group 70 Music Teachers Association, Cork 100 Royal Irish Academy of Music 3,060* Sutton Park School 96 Willy Clancy Summer School 700 Scholarships (amount paid during year) 8,300 £48,546

*£3,000 was made available by Dublin Corporation to augment the Coulson Scholarship Fund and was paid through the Arts Council under Section 12 of the Arts Act, 1973.

Opera and Dance

Dublin Grand Opera Society presentation of “Ernani”

Since its formation in 1940 the Dublin Grand Opera Society has performed seventy-eight operas by thirty-six composers. During 1977 a record 42,000 people attended the Society's Spring and Winter seasons, which comprised eight operas with thirty performances in Dublin and six performances in Cork. A feature of this season was the co- operation of the Irish Ballet Company in Wagner's Tannhauser. One of the particular concerns of the Arts Council is to ensure that there are opportunities in opera for professional Irish artists and these featured prominently in Werther, with Bernadette Greevy, William Young, Terry Reid, and Brendan Cavanagh and in Lucia di Lammermoor, which was conducted by Colman Pearce.

The Wexford Festival Opera, which ran for ten days in October presented three operas, again with the conspicuous and successful involvement of professional Irish artists. Bernadette Greevy was outstanding in the title role of Massenet's Herodiade, and the Irish Ballet Company danced in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. A triple bill of Italian comic opera, II Maestro di Capella, La Serva Pedrona and La Servae I'Ussero completed the season.

The first ever Irish National Opera production was Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, which opened in January 1965. In 1977 a new production of the opera was mounted which toured extensively through the country. In addition to bringing operas to provincial centres, INO provides opportunities for young Irish singers, under the direction of Paddy Ryan, who is resident producer with the company.

The productions of the Dublin Grand Opera Society and Wexford Festival Opera rely heavily on amateur choruses. Were it not for the voluntary commitment of the choruses, the costs of opera productions would be far beyond the capacity of the sponsoring organisations. The Opera Advisory Committee, established by the Council in 1976 to co- ordinate the future development of opera in Ireland, recommended a series of master classes to assist in improving standards in this area. Although the classes for 1977 had to be cancelled, a venture on similar lines is planned for 1978. The committee also established a working party to examine the feasibility of establishing a National Opera Company on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

The Irish Ballet Company's participation in opera productions has already been mentioned. Another very welcome instance of rational co-operation between grant-aided bodies was the visit of the Company to the Abbey Theatre in June, where five new ballets were performed to capacity houses. This was followed by a highly successful trip toYugoslavia. Despite the pressure of these major engagements the Company also continued to tour throughout Ireland. The Arts Council's first scholarship for a dancer was awarded to sixteen year old Katherine Lewis who has gained a place at the Royal Ballet School in London.

Opera £ Dublin Grand Opera Society 30,000 Irish National Opera 9,600 Wexford Festival Opera 16,000 £55,600

Dance Irish Ballet Company 111,000 Cork Ballet Company 1,000 Dublin Ballet Club 569

Katherine Lewis: Dance Scholarship 800 £113,369

Oasis: Alanna O'Kelly "Untitled"

Visual Arts

In 1967 ROSC introduced a new concept in art exhibitions when works by fifty modern masters were displayed with ancient Celtic and Viking art. ROSC 77 confined the range of modern work to Europe, and for the first time two Irish artists were invited to show. The jury comprised Ronald Alley (Tate Gallery) Ryszard Stanislawski (Sztuki Museum, Poland) and the French art critic, Dominique Fourcade. By arrangement with various institutions, the ancient art section, compiled by Dr Máire de Paor, was devoted to Early Animal Art. The contemporary section consisted of works by fifty artists created in the last five years, and included examples of new art forms and media not previously exhibited at ROSC, with examples of conceptual art, photography, special installations and photo-realism. The exhibition opened at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin, on 21st August and ran for ten weeks, during which time it was seen by an estimated 50,000 people.

Audiences for the second Open Air Show of Irish Sculpture (OASIS) were by no means as large as for ROSC, but their reaction to the work on display made front page news. Over two thirds of the exhibits were destroyed in their setting in St Anne's Park, Raheny, Dublin, thereby indicating that the response of many people to modern art is often one of bewilderment and sometimes one of outright hostility. However, the organisers of OASIS have put together a photographic show based on their experiences in 1977 in order to clarify some of the issues involved in the erection and siting of public sculpture.

A welcome new addition to the Visual Arts calendar was Limerick 77 a major exhibition, conceived and organised by artists resident in the area. The show attracted a wide response from painters, sculptors and printmakers throughout Ireland, with local sponsors contributing £900 to a variety of awards. The exhibition was located in three venues in Limerick and ran from 26th September to 15th October 1977.

Three annual exhibitions were assisted during the year. The Oireachtas Exhibition opened at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery on the 21st June and subsequently toured to Belfast and Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. A special feature of the exhibition was "The Castle" by Mary Swanzy, who exhibited at the first ever Oireachtas exhibition in 1907. The Douglas Hyde Gold Medal and a prize of £100 sponsored by the Council, was awarded to Gerald Davis for his portrait of Redmond O'Hanlon, a seventeenth century highwayman. In July, the Royal Hibernian Academy held their annual exhibition in the National Gallery, and in December, Independent Artists exhibited in the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery.

Three exhibitions from abroad were brought to Ireland in 1977 with the Council's assistance. By arrangement with the Arts Council of Great Britain, a retrospective exhibition of painting by Julius Bissier (1893-1965) was held at the National Gallery of Ireland in March and April. The paintings were on loan from the Nordrhein-Westfalen Museum in Dijsseldorf, and the accompanying catalogue contained an introduction by the curator, Dr Werner Schmalenbach.

Following consultations with the Netherlands Ministry of Culture, two exhibitions were secured for touring in Ireland. Drawings by the Dutch architects, Duiker and Bijvoet were exhibited in Dublin, Cork and Limerick from June to August and the touring arrangements were handled by the Architectural Institute of Ireland. An exhibition of Dutch jewellery and graphics opened in Dublin in July and was toured by the Crafts Council of Ireland to Wexford, Cork and Ennis. The display was subsequently transferred to Belfast.

During the year Séan McCrum was appointed as Exhibitions Officer with the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin. The appointment was made in advance of the Gallery opening so that a programme of exhibitions for the following year could be planned.

The Arts Council notes with great regret the death of Mr. Leo Smith, of the Dawson Gallery, Dublin, whose contribution to the visual arts in Ireland was of major importance.

The Council promoted three travelling exhibitions

during 1977, Listowel Graphics Again, Realism Now and Images of Stone. Listowel Graphics Again was assembled after Listowel Writers' Week in 1976, and its tour concluded in May 1977. The second exhibition, Realism Now, opened in the Burren Display Centre, Kilfenora, on 29th January. The exhibition consisted of works by seven Irish artists, James Alien, Robert Ballagh, John Devlin, Martin Gale, Tim Goulding, Peter Johnson and John Slevin. The show illustrated some of the ways and means by which the artist depicts reality and in the accompanying catalogue each artist described his own paintings and the thinking behind them. The third exhibition. Images of Stone, commenced touring in October. It was based on a book of the same name by Helen Hickey, Curator of Fermanagh County Museum. The display consists of photographs and fibreglass casts of the stone carvings which lie scattered over the shores and islands of Lough Erne. Some of the carvings date from the Iron Age and the tradition of stone carving in the area continued through early Christian times down to the 19th Century. The later examples mirror Celtic forms over two thousand years old. The exhibition had been previously toured by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and was a major feature of the Edinburgh Festival in 1977.

The Council's Exhibition Quarterly, a guide to visual arts exhibitions throughout Ireland, has grown in circulation throughout the year, and is now published jointly with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with a print run of 10,000 copies per quarter. The Council is keen to assist the publication of critical monographs on the contemporary visual arts in Ireland and one such title, a study of the late Jonathan Wade, was assisted in 1977. This was the second year of the Council's visual arts bursary scheme. From over 100 applications thirteen awards were made to painters, sculptors and printmakers and two awards were given for stage design. A grant of £1,000 was made to the sculptor Edward Delaney to improve his foundry in County Galway. Two other sculptors, Michael Bulfin and John Burke, also received studio assistance grants. The establishment of a community poster workshop by three young artists Daniel Courtney, Joseph Hanley and Brian Maguire was supported with an award of £650 and Dietrich Blodau received £500 to establish a printmaking service in the Limerick area. Assistance towards the purchase of material was given to Helen Comerford, Michael Cullen, and John Kelly and specialised equipment grants were made to Patrick Connor, Sally Houston and Frank Lee-Cooper.

Stage designers benefitted under the scheme for the first time this year. Frank Conway, Design Assistant with the Abbey Theatre was enabled to attend a specialised design course organised by the English National Opera and Monica Frawley, a postgraduate student, was assisted with her second year fees at the Theatre Department of the Central School of Art and Design in London.

Bursaries £ Dietrich Blodau 560 Michael Bulfin 1,000 John Burke 355 Helen Comerford 506 Patrick Connor 290 Frank Conway 550 Daniel Courtney } Joseph Hanley } 650 Brian Maguire } Michael Cullen 452 Edward Delaney 1,100 Monica Frawley 450 Sally Houston 260 John Kelly 300 Frank Lee-Cooper 624 PaulO'Keefe 416 John Smith 400 £7,913

The Council continued to operate its Joint Purchase Scheme, whereby grants are given to certain bodies to help purchase work by contemporary Irish artists which will be exhibited in public places. Fifteen such grants were made in respect of 35 works. The Council also continued to purchase from exhibitions throughout the country. During the year 35 works were bought and at the end of 1977 there were 233 items in the Council's collection.

Joint Purchase Grants £ Athlone Regional Technical College 175 Arbutus Lodge Hotel, Cork 275 City of Cork Vocational Education Committee 110 Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork 130 Erinville Maternity Hospital, Cork 225 An Foras Taluntais 200 Kildare County Council 502 Kildare County Libraries 114 Longford-Westmeath County Libraries 54 Montessori School, Cork 14 Office of Public Works 379 Radio Telefís Éireann 860 Royal Hotel, Athlone 230 St Colmcille's Primary School, Dublin 23 University College, Galway 595

£3,886

Purchases for Collection

Artist Title Medium James Alien Figures in an Old Landscape Oil on canvas Robert Ballagh Kite for Kilkenny Mixed media Brian Ballard Forest II Oil on canvas Charles Brady My New Wallet Oil on canvas Michael Coleman link Charcoal on paper Patrick Connor Untitled Sculpture-ceramic Mary Farl Powers Blue Spotted Torso Etching Mary Farl Powers Desert Landscape Etching Mary Farl Powers Gold Ribbon Etching Micheal Farrell Storm in a Teacup Etching Micheal Farrell The President's Letter Etching Brian Ferran Angry Wall Oil on canvas T.P. Flanagan Sequence at Seaforde Watercolour Patrick Graham Swan Song Oil on paper Alice Hanratty Renaissance Heads Etching J.S. Harrison Suncircle Acrylic Henry Healy The Gondoliers Oil on canvas John Kelly 'A' Oil on paper John Kelly '10' Oil on paper Justin Laffan Cock Bog oak carving Ciarán Lennon Tempera Watercolour James McCreary Posie Lithograph Norah McGuinness September Oil on canvas Seán McSweeney Mountain Lake Oil on canvas Derek Menary Photage Mixed Media James Nolan Reflections, Yeomanstown Oil on canvas Liam Ó Broin St Brendan Lithograph Liam Ó Broin Head I Etching Patrick Pye The Assumption Tempera on panel Patrick Scott Study for Screen Collage Constance Short Kitchen Etching Constance Short Still Life II Wood engraving Maria Simonds-Gooding Clochán on the Dingle Peninsula Etching Charles Tyrell Diagonal Blue Push Etching Gordon Woods Garden for K Oil

Council Exhibitions £ Contemporary Dutch Architecture 453 Contemporary Dutch Jewellery 345 Julius Bissier 4,632

Touring Exhibitions Listowel Graphics Again 1,394 Images of Stone 1,264 Realism Now 2,336

Miscellaneous 387 £10,811

Independent Exhibitions An t-Oireachtas 2,000 Dundalk Art Group 124 Independent Artists 1,400 OASIS 5,000 ROSC 15,000 Royal Hibernian Academy 900 77 Exhibition, Limerick 1,000

Galleries Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin 2,000 Kilkenny Art Gallery Society 350 Sligo Art Gallery 650 Tubular Gallery, Cork 1,450

Other Grants Cork Arts Society 250 Cork Sculpture Park Committee 250 Gerald Davis (Douglas Hyde Prize) 100 Graphic Studio, Dublin 1,600 National Trust Archive 750 "Pictures Come Alive 300 Profile Press 300 Bursaries (amount paid during year) 7,817 £41,241

Arts Centres

There are many reasons why the development of Arts Centres should be supported and encouraged. Not only are there clear administrative advantages in having a diversity of arts activities located in one place, but more importantly, these venues provide an entree for young creative artists who might otherwise have difficulty in making themselves known. Furthermore, by their very nature arts centres encourage an overlap of audiences for theatre, music and the visual arts.

Four arts centres are currently supported by the Council, two in Dublin and two in County Wexford. Project Arts Centre in Dublin has the widest range of activity of any arts group in the country. During the year under review it promoted 215 events, comprising plays, exhibitions, concerts, film shows and seminars. The development of a fully professional theatre company has been particularly noteworthy, whose plays this year included The Risen People by James Hunkett, Dev by G.P. Gallivan, Brendan Behan's The Hostage, two Yeats plays and Peter Sheridan's The Liberty Suit, which opened in the Olympia Theatre during the Dublin Theatre Festival, transferring afterwards to Dun Laoghaire and to Cork.

Project's music programme for the year embraced jazz, traditional folk and rock music. A highlight of the concerts was a singer-songwriter series which gave established young Irish folk musicians such as Paul Brady, Andy Irvine and Mick Hanly an opportunity to develop their talents further. The cinema club, housed in a small 80 seat cinema, presented a wide spectrum of minority interest films, thereby complementing the programme of the Irish Film Theatre. In its early years. Project's main contribution was made in the visual arts, where it provided a gallery space for artists many of whom have since gained considerable reputations. However in recent years the number of commercial galleries in Dublin has increased dramatically and this has resulted in a redefinition by Project of its function in relation to the visual arts, now concentrating on overseas exhibitions and on giving opportunities for performance artists.

Grapevine Arts Centre, also in Dublin, operates on a smaller scale giving a different emphasis to the various art forms: for example, student work figures prominently in its visual arts exhibitions. Regular presentations include life- drawing classes, literature workshops, folk music nights and the publication of a monthly magazine.

Wexford Arts Centre, in addition to hosting touring exhibitions and performances has built up a strong local interest in the arts through its Arts Forum and a variety of Children's Arts activities. In August, Andrew Potter, who had been joint administrator of the Arts Centre and the Wexford Festival Opera since 1975, left Wexford to take up an appointment in England. Later in the year Rhoda McManus was appointed as full-time administrator of the Centre.

The Funge Arts Centre, Gorey, now in its 8th year, has a six-week season each Summer during which a wide variety of arts activity takes place. Children's workshops have always been a strong feature of the programme, this year they catered for art and drama. A new literary magazine. The Gorey Detail, was published, and the climax of the season was a twelve-day festival in August. The founder of the Centre, Paul Funge, is now Regional Arts Officer with the Mid- West Arts Association in Limerick.

There are three annual arts festivals supported by the Council at present. As the name suggests, Listowel Writers' Week, founded in 1971, is primarily concerned with literature in all its aspects, and its annual programme includes a variety of literary competitions, poetry and fiction workshops, and an extensive bookfair. Among the visitors this year were two Scottish writers and a writer from Wales under an exchange scheme organised by the Council. Over the past two years the Listowel Graphics Exhibition has become a special feature of the Week's activities and has been toured extensively under the Council's touring exhibition programme. The death of Seamus Wilmot, chairman of Writers' Week occurred in January 1977 and the Council takes this opportunity of acknowledging his great contribution to both Writers' Week and to the theatre in Ireland.

Music is the speciality of Kilkenny Arts Week, founded in 1974. The historic St Canice's Cathedral,

“Purgatory” by W.B. Yeats at Project Arts Centre.

"Celine and Julie go Boating" directed by Jacques Rivette presented at the Project Cinema Club

acoustically excellent, is the centre of activity and this year hosted the RTE Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Rosen, which performed works by Beethoven, Elgar and Sibelius. Other highlights of the week were the visit by Arkady Sevidov, the Russian pianist, and a jazz concert by the Ronnie Scott Quintet with Louis Stewart. There was also a series of readings by novelists and an unusual exhibition of kites, both of which were held in the other major centre for the Arts Week, Kilkenny Castle.

The 8th annual Dublin Arts Festival ran for ten days in March. In addition to concerts, plays and poetry readings, the programme included walking tours of various parts of Dublin, illustrative of the city's cultural and architectural heritage. Other Festivals assisted in 1977 included Dun Laoghaire Arts Week and an Arts Week held on Inishbofin Island, off the Galway coast. This latter festival particularly commemorated the American poet, Theodore Roethke, who lived on the island in 1960.

Arts Centres £

Funge Arts Centre, Gorey 2,200 Grapevine Arts Centre, Dublin 2,000 Project Arts Centre, Dublin 34,000 Wexford Arts Centre 8,200 £46,400

Arts Festivals Dublin Arts Festival 1,600 Dun Laoghaire Arts Week 217 Inishbofin Arts Week 800 Kilkenny Arts Week 2,500 Listowel Writers' Week 2,200 £7,317

Other Activities

In 1976 the Richards Report, Provision for the Arts, recommended the "systematic extension of the Council's activities into the regions outside Dublin", and suggested a link-up with regional development organisations. The Regional Development Organisation for Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary established the Mid-West Arts Association, the first of its kind in Ireland, and a model for similar developments elsewhere. In October the Association appointed a full-time Arts Officer to co-ordinate voluntary and professional arts activities within the area and to advise on the provision of finance and facilities for the region.

In January 1977 an award was made to Eamonn Ó Gallchobhair from Ciste Colmcille, a trust fund established by public subscription. Eamonn Ó Gallchobhair's contribution to music over the years has been one of long and dedicated service in arranging traditional Irish music for instruments and voices. His work as a composer includes two operas and a Mass in Irish.

A capital assistance grant was made to the White Memorial Theatre, Clonmel, which was renovated in 1975 by St Mary's Choral Society. The hall is used by the Society for their own light opera productions, and is frequently visited by touring companies and orchestras.

The Council also assisted a variety of arts activity at local level, including the Mallow Arts Lab, which organised exhibitions and concerts in the town during the year. Two local arts festivals were also supported; lona Arts Festival, on the north side of Dublin and a festival in Clifden in the local community school, which featured a sculpture workshop presented by Justin Laffan.

Last year's Report noted the growing interest in drama for young people and the emergence of two companies. Children's T Company and TEAM who were specialising in this work. Unfortunately, the Children's T Company, having played for over two years to more than 100,000 children was forced to disband at the end of 1977, a victim of under-financing. -TEAM survived with extreme difficulty, gradually building up a repertoire of performances designed for children of various age groups.

Community Arts and Regional Development £ Cavan Arts Society 110 Children's T Company 4,025 Clifden Community School 100 Daonscoil Dhu Thalia 30 Drama Study Circle 400 lona Arts Festival, Dublin 50 Irish Countrywomen's Association 644 Living City Group, Dublin 200 Mallow Arts Lab 1,000 Mid-West Arts Association 3,000 People's College, Dublin 250 South Tipperary Art Group 30 TEAM Educational Theatre 4,200 White Memorial Theatre, Clonmel 1,000 £15,039

The Rosc `77 jury: Dominique Faourcade, Ryszard Stanislawski and Ronald Alley.

An Chomhairle Ealaíon

ACCOUNTS for the year ended 31st December 1977

Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General

I have examined the following Account and Balance Sheet which , as required by the Arts Act 1951, are in the form approved by the Minister for Finance. I have obtained all the information and explanations which I considered necessary for the purpose of my audit.

In my opinion:- (a) proper books of accounts have been kept by An Chomhairle and the following Account and Balance Sheet are in agreement with them; (b) the Account and Balance sheet, together with notes 1 to 12 give, respectively, a true and fair view of the transactions of An Chomhairle for the year ended 31st December 1977,and of the state of its affairs on that date.

Seán Mac Gearailt, Comptroller and Auditor General

12th June 1978

Accounts

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT Year ended 31st December 1977 1976 Notes £ £ £ Income 990,000 Oireachtas Grant-in-aid (1) 1,200,000 2,000 Grant from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation __ 18,571 Other Grants (2) 23,356 8,000 Sundry Income 5,243 5,431 Transfer from Capital Reserve: __ 1,228,599 1,024,002 Expenditure The Arts: 926,456 Grants and Guarantees (3) 1,117,203 9,019 Grants towards purchases of work of art (4) 3,886 14,425 Council Exhibitions 10,811 __ Exhibition Equipment 5,233 2,938 Study of the Arts __ 4,798 Other Council Activities (5) 5,482 __ Transfer to Capital Reserve: Excess of (6) 3,800 Purchase over Sales of Works of Art at cost 957,636 1,146,415 61,837 Administration (7) 75,839 1,222,254 1,019,473 4,529 Excess of Income Over Expenditure for 6,345 the Year (32,522) Deficit Brought Forward (27,993) £(27,993) Deficit at 31st December 1977 £(21,648)

Notes 1 to 12 form part of these accounts.

Patrick J. Rock Chairman

Colm Ó Briain Director 9th June1978

An Chomhairle Ealaíon

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st DECEMBER 1977 31/12/76 £ Notes £ 31,307 Fixed Assets (8) 35,107 44,426 Trust Funds (9) 70,193 5,000 Interest-Free Loan (10) 3,330 2,897 Debtors 3,909 722 Grants paid in advance 10,000 4,984 Cash at bank and in hand 4,787 8,603 18,696 Current Liabilities Creditors 7,654 Grants and Guarantees outstanding 36,020 43,674 (32,993) Net Current Assets (24,978) £47,740 £83,652 Represented by 31,307 Capital Reserve (3) 35,107 44,426 Trust Funds 70,193 (27,993) Income and Expenditure Account: Deficit (9) (21,648) £47,740 £83,652 Notes 1 to 12 form part of these accounts.

Patrick J. Rock Chairman Colm Ó Briain Director 22nd July 1977

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

Note 1: Accounting Policies Oireachtas Grant Income shown as Oireachtas Grant-in-Aid is the actual cash received from the Vote for An Chomhairle Ealaíon. (ii) Expenditure on office furniture, fittings and equipment is written off in the year of purchase.

Note 2: Other grants £ Dublin County Council (re Olympia Restoration Fund) 14,356 Dublin Corporation (re Royal Irish Academy of Music) 3,000 Radio Telefis Eireann (re Film Script Award) 5,000 University College Galway (re Writers Workshop) 1,000 £23,356

Note 3: Grants and Guarantees 1976 1977 Literature £17,205 23,410 Drama 680,308 754,357 Film 10,410 12,974 Opera and Dance 137,521 168,969 Music 25,751 48,546 Visual Arts 23,632 41,241 Arts Centres 23,550 46,400 Arts Festivals 5,331 7,317 Community Arts and Regional Development 3,398 15,039 Miscellaneous 400 - 927,506 1,118,253 Less: Provision for grants and guarantees in previous year no longer required 1,050 1,050 £926,456 £1,117,203

Note 4: Grants towards the purchase of works of art These grants represent the Council's contribution to the cost of works of art acquired by approved bodies under the Council's Joint Purchase Scheme. The 4 works of art may not be resold without the prior agreement of the Council and, in the event of such agreement, they shall not be resold for less than their original price, and half the sum realised shall be refunded to the Council.

Note 5: Other Council Activities £ £ Writers in Schools Scheme: Expenses 772 Less: Receipts 72 700 Music Bursary Winners Concert 266 Exhibition Quarterly: Expenses 3,077 Less: Received from Arts Council of Northern Ireland 951 2,126 Miscellaneous 2,390

£5,482 Note 6: Capital Reserve Works of art on hand at 31st December 1976 31,307 Income and Expenditure Account 3,800 Balance at 31st December 1977 £35,107

Note 7: Administration Expenses 1976 1977 Salaries, Superannuation and Social Welfare Insurance 38,044 45,439 Travelling, Subsistence and Entertainment 5,248 10,080 Consultants' Fees and Expenses 3,730 3,370 Office Furniture, Fittings and Equipment 4,281 1,941 Rent, Rates, Light, Heat, Insurances, Cleaning Repairs and other 3,368 3,694 House Expenses. Printing and Stationery 3,387 5,503 Postage, Telephone and Sundry Expenses 3,779 5,897 £61,837 £75,839

Note 8: Fixed Assets £ Works of art on hand at 31st December 1976 31,307 Additions 5,100 Disposals (1,300)

Balance at 31st December 1977 £35,107

Note 9: Trust Funds Assets at 31st December 1977 £ £ President Douglas Hyde Award £830.90 6% Exchequer Stock, 1980-85 840 (Market Value of Securities, £694) Cash at Bank 56 896

W.J.B. Macaulay foundation £26,400 9% Conversion Stock, 1980-82 20,546 (Market Value of Securities, £26,700) Cash at Bank 4,404 24,950 New York Irish Institute Fund £1,728.74 6% Exchequer Stock, 1980-85 1,770 (Market Value of Securities, £1,443) Cash at Bank __ 1,770

Denis Devlin Foundation £2,600.00 9% Conversion Stock, 1980-82 2,032 (Market Value of Securities, £2,630) Cash at Bank 369 2,401 Ciste Cholmcille £1,200.00 7% National Loan, 1987-92 1,030 £8,147.65 8½% Conversion Stock, 1986-88 8,099 £2,050.00 9¾% National Loan, 1984-89 2,004 £1,020.00 9¾% National Development Loan, 1992- 97 1,005 £2,000.00 11% National Loan, 1993-98 1,840 (Market Value of Securities, £12,711) 13,978 Cash at Bank 1,081 15,059

Marten Toonder Foundation £4,100.00 9% Conversion Stock, 1980-82 4,021 £6,000.00 11% National Loan, 1993-98 5,583 £6,000.00 12% Convertible Stock, 1979 6,711 £4,500.00 Allied Irish Banks Ltd 10% Convertible Unsecured Subordinate Loan Stock, 198 5,189 £1,150.00 Bank of Ireland Stock 3,560 (Market Value of Securities, £26,659) 25,064 Cash at Bank 53 25,117 £70,193 Note: Securities are shown at cost and are held in trust by An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Movement of Trust Funds Brought Income Expenditure Carried forward forward President Douglas Hyde Award 846 50 — 896 W.J.B. Macaulay Foundation 22,520 2,430 — 24,950 New York Irish Institute Fund 1,770 104 104 1,770 Denis Devlin Foundation 2,163 238 — 2,401 Ciste Cholmcille 17,127 1,632* 3,700 15,059 Marten Toonder Foundation — 27,617 2,500 25,117 £44,426 £32,071 £6,304 £70,193 *Note: Income to Ciste Cholmcille includes subscriptions received amounting to £267.

Note 10: Interest Free Loan In 1975 the Council approved an interest-free loan of £5,000 to provide working capital for the Dolmen Press Ltd. The loan, which is secured, is repayable over three years, commencing in 1977. The balance outstanding at 31st December 1977 was £3,300.

Note 11: Loan Guarantee The Council has guaranteed a term loan of £44,805 made by the Bank of Ireland to Project Arts Centre, in respect of the purchase of the freehold of the premises occupied by the Centre at East Essex Street, Dublin. The Council has also guaranteed to pay to the Centre in 1978 and for seven subsequent years a grant equal to 80% of the annual repayments in respect of the loan.

Note 12: Future Commitments At 31st December 1977 the Council had approved grants and guarantees against loss on various activities due to take place after that date. The amount involved, £519,198, is not reflected in these accounts.

Irish Ballet Company, “Chariots of Fire”

Picture Credits

Abbey Theatre, 10,17

Fergus Bourke, 13,30,31

Cinegael, 42

Dublin Grand Opera Society, 25

Gate Theatre, 14

Irish Ballet Company, 20,43

Irish Film Theatre, 19

Irish Theatre Company, 18

Irish Times, 22

Tony Murray, 26

Pieterse-Davison, Cover, 4, 8, 11, 29, 36

Project Arts Centre, 33, 34

Designed by Edward Chandler MSDI. Printed by Iona Print Limited.