National Campaign for the Arts Announces Election Meetings to be held February 14

THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS are taking the forthcoming election very seriously. For the first time ever meetings around the country will take place on February 14th at 11am.  Meetings will be held at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, the Radisson Blu Hotel in Galway, and the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. In Dublin, arts spokespersons from all 5 political parties will attend a meeting to outline their respective arts policies and answer questions.

"The election campaign is in full swing. A new government is imminent. This means new policies and new priorities - with no guarantees for funding and continued investment in the arts. The arts community is taking this election very seriously. For the first time we're holding hustings meetings around the county on Valentine's Day. We need politicians with vision and principles, who want to create a society that values creativity, imagination and expression.

We want to: Maintain a full Cabinet Minister for Arts; Campaign for continued and increased investment in the arts; Promote the role and value of the arts.

Those already confirmed for the DUBLIN MEETING are:

FF - Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and Deputy Leader of FF

FG - Jimmy Deenihan TD, FG Frontbench Spokesperson Culture, Tourism and Sport

Green - Paul Gogarty TD, Spokesperson on Education, Tourism, Culture and Sport

Labour - Ruairi Quinn TD, Deputy Leader Labour Party

Sinn Fein - Aengus O Snodaigh TD

Chair: Journalist Myles Dungan

Those already confirmed for the CORK MEETING

Kathleen Lynch (Lab)
Simon Coveney (FG)
Dan Boyle (Green)
Chris O'Leary (SF)
John Adams
David McCarthy (Ind)
Chair: Poet Thomas McCarthy

Those already confirmed for THE GALWAY MEETING are

Minister Eamon O'Cuiv (FF)
Niall O Brolchain (GP)
Catherine Connolly (Ind)
Derek Nolan (L)
Fidelma Healy Eames(FG)
Brian Walsh(FG)
Eamon Walsh (Ind)

There will be a similar format in Galway and Cork with candidates from Galway and Cork constituencies invited to present their local arts policy and answer your questions.

All details can be found on our Election 2011 website www.ncfa.ie

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