merrion street

Wednesday 27th November 2013: Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, at noon to-day will visit Darndale / Belcamp Village Centre and meet the organisers of Darndale Arts Week.

The idea for this Arts Week grew from the desire to bring Arts to a community who generally would not have an opportunity to engage with the arts as part of their day to day lives. They also wanted to allow local talent to be given an opportunity to be seen, as it was felt this would enhance the sense of pride in the community. Another motivation was to build stronger interagency links throughout the community by having a committee with representatives from all the key players in the community come together to organise the week, and to bring their own particular view to the whole endeavour.

Minister Deenihan commented:

"This is a wonderful initiative, bringing Arts to a community and audience who would not ordinarily have an opportunity to engage with performers, exhibitions, performances, workshops etc. across the arts as part of their day to day lives".

"Looking around me here, the wealth of talent is inspiring and enthusiasm for this event is infectious. It was WB Yeats who reminded us that "Art bids us touch and taste and hear and see the world", it is partnerships like this one today that allow everyone to do just that, and I would like to congratulate the organisers and wish them the best of luck in everything they do in the future" Minister Deenihan added.