WIP

 

Q.1 What were you doing when you were 23?

 

I was undertaking postgraduate studies. Arts Administration in UCD, which at the time was a postgraduate diploma, now it is a Masters. I had come from a Montessori teaching background, working with underprivileged children. I also spent time working with the ISPCC in family centres in areas of disadvantage.

 

Q. 2 How did you get to where you are today?

 

I was interested in music and drama all through childhood. After becoming a Montessori teacher, I then did the course in UCD and then got a position as the manager of the Roscrea Heritage Centre. This really wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I made the position my own. I really felt that I needed to get out of Dublin. In 1991 it was a very different environment. At the time people’s understanding of the Arts was quite different. I was attracted to the openness of the council in Laois, which has remained and has enabled the development of the Arts in Laois to develop as it has.

 

Q. 3 Who was the most influential person in your life and why?

 

It’s always family isn’t it? My parents were behind me in all I pursued. They enabled it to happen, through studying music and drama. My mother was a teacher and my father a journalist, so living in Dublin I was brought to all the major cultural events from childhood. Teachers were another source of inspiration as were people I met in the cultural field later on.

 

Q. 4 What do you value most in life?

 

I think my family; my wonderful husband and three children are my most precious assets. I suppose also the freedom to keep informed. I feel privileged to live in a country that allows us democratic process. Education is really important as well, as it can bring you to the point where you can use your own discretion on different matters.

 

Q. 5 What advice would you give a young University graduate from Ireland?

 

I think that it is very important to keep very well informed on current affairs- it informs everything. Everything in this country and the wider world and it informs choices. I think that at the moment it is a very different environment for graduates than the last few years and I would advise graduates to be very creative in their approach to work. Today you have to be somewhat entrepreneurial and there is the opportunity out there to form co-ops for just say, artists and musicians. People now must do things for themselves and not rely on people to offer you a job. With the economy as it is, creative thinking becomes more important. I would also advise graduates to look outside of Ireland for opportunities.

 

Q. 6 How would you describe your job?

 

It’s very varied. Essentially it is the responsibility for developing arts programmes for the county inhabitants and anyone close to here. There are a number of strands; the arts service, artists, public art, young people and children, community and amateur arts, venues, and a plan free zone. For example, something that we commissioned was a project entitled ‘Unit’, which is a perception of Laois through the eyes of others. One artist focussed on the issue of urban renewal, another the hospital community here in Laois, another was focussed on the prison- the idea that time stands still and what that means. Another artist asked non-nationals and refugees to play the ‘parlour game’ that the poet WH Auden had devised to look at your ‘Eden’, your dreams and aspirations of a peaceful world. Another project was where Transition year students wrote a play about the ethical implications of taking drugs. Also part of our job is to run creative writing courses, we run a literary festival called ‘Leaves’, and we produce a literary magazine in conjunction with other midland counties. This is creating a voice for artists in our region, many of which have been in the shadows even though a lot has been going on. We also award grants for communities and individuals such as artists, film-makers, musicians and writers which means a lot.

 

Q. 7 Why do you think the Arts is so important in our lives?

 

It reflects back to us what we are. Where we are in this world. It is ‘soul food’. It is part of our being that needs to express itself. Whether as an audient or participant the Arts allows people to express themselves and be all the richer for it.

 

Q. 8 Why do you think it is important for young people to be involved in the Arts?

 

I think it is so important because it opens up minds to possibilities, and facilitates so much learning-learning about different cultures, different times, and learning about the individual. The unveiling of the statue of James Fintan Lalor outside Laois County Council opened up our heritage as we learned about the man himself. Another reason for young people to be involved in the Arts is that it brings people into contact with people with a different perspective other than people they would ordinarily come in contact with, which is so important. If there is a talent there it is given the chance to flourish.

 

Q. 9 Where do you see the direction of the Arts in Laois going in the future?

 

Well I feel that we have done some very good groundwork and our hope is that we can continue this work. Obviously there are going to be financial constraints over the next five years. Though this is not necessarily a negative thing. Situations like these force you to look at things in a different light. There is more time for reflection and to look at ways things could be managed differently.

 

Q. 10 What projects have you running at the moment?

 

Well we have ‘Unit’ which I mentioned earlier; we have just launched a booklet called ‘Seeker’ compiled by an American artist Theresa Nanigan. We are going to continue with the summer Arts literary festival. We have recently opened artist studios in Abbeyleix which can house artists for between six months and two years. Also we are in the process of running five youth theatres around the county for the summer.