I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Tá Aire Stáit na Saincheisteanna Tráthúla anseo inniu. Tá fáilte roimhe. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil an tAire, an Teachta O’Donovan, ag teacht isteach. Is mór an trua é nach bhfuil sé anseo ar dtús báire. B’fhéidir go dtiocfaidh sé. Chonaic mé go raibh sé anseo níos luaithe sa lá. Ag déileáil leis an gceist seo, is ceist ríthábhachtach í do dhream beag in Éirinn, ach bíonn tionchar ag an dream sin ar bheagnach chuile dhuine againn, i slí amháin nó slí eile. Is é an rud atá i gceist anseo ná go mbeidh muid ag déanamh leasaithe cuibheasach simplí ar an Acht Ealaíon, 2003. Is iad gáire maith agus codladh fada an dá leigheas is fearr i leabhar an dochtúra de réir an seanfhocail Ghaelaigh. Tá sé éasca daoine a chur ina gcodladh; ní gá ach éisteacht le roinnt de na hóráidí sa Teach le go dtiteann daoine ina gcodladh, agus bíonn daoine ina gcodladh. Chun daoine a chur ag gáire, áfach, tá scil ar leith ag teastáil. Uaireanta, bíonn an scil sin ag daoine; beag beann ar an stad ina bhfuil siad sa saol, bíonn siad in ann daoine a chur ag gáire. Bíonn sé sin an-tábhachtach. Is leigheas ar leith é do chuid mhór d'hfadhbanna an tsaoil. Cuidíonn sé leo siúd a bhfuil dementia orthu nó atá faoi mhíchumas. Cuidíonn sé linne ar fad ó thaobh ár gcuid meabhairshláinte de. Tá áthas orm fáilte a chur roimh roinnt de na daoine a dhéanann an ealaín sin a chleachtadh. Tá roinnt acu san Áiléar Poiblí nó ag féachaint orainn ó lasmuigh inniu mar tá spéis ag dream ar leith sa Bhille seo. Tá spéis ag ealaíontóirí timpeall na tíre ann. Is é an rud atá i gceist inniu ná an Bille Ealaíon (Coiméide a Aithint) (Leasú), 2024. Is Bille é a chinnteoidh aitheantas agus tacaíocht ón Chomhairle Ealaíon do na fir agus mná grinn timpeall na tíre, rudaí atá diúltaithe orthu toisc an fhéachaint nó an tuiscint atá glactha ag an Chomhairle Ealaíon faoi láthair as an Acht Ealaíon, 2003. We gather here in the Dáil this evening to debate a very simple Bill that would add just one word to the law of the land, to include comedy in the definition of arts in the Arts Act 2003. We are having this debate at the culmination of a long struggle by comedians for recognition and for Arts Council support in particular. I welcome Ailish McCarthy, who has led the fight for three years now, gathering thousands of signatures on a petition that supports the intention of this Bill. She has also gained the support of numerous arts organisations. Ailish should have been spending her time creating for her comedy sketches and for all of her life as a comedian, rather than having to divert away from that creative work to bang down the doors of the Arts Council, the Minister, politicians and us who are gathered here, to demand equality for one of Ireland's arts. At the same time, she is also trying to keep comedians aware of the resourcing opportunities that exist through her Irish comedy guide. She does that out of the goodness of her heart and an understanding of how difficult it is for comedians and to harness an awareness among comedians and their supports of the need for supports for comedy in Ireland. She is a champion of her art and, on behalf of TDs across the Dáil, I would like to take this opportunity to commend her on her work. Gabhaim buíochas le Ailish McCarthy as a cuid oibre go dtí seo. Níor chóir go mbeadh sí ag tabhairt faoin obair ná go gcuirfí an t-ualach breise sin uirthi ag feachtasaíocht anuas ar an obair atá sí ag déanamh i réimse an ghrinn ag cothú coiméide agus gáire ionann, mar tá an fhéith sin inti. Tá aitheantas ag dul di as sin. I would also like to welcome other comedians who joined us earlier in an audiovisual room presentation, some of whom are looking in on Oireachtas TV and elsewhere. We had a very interesting briefing this morning for TDs and Senators with a number of comedians and those who are supporting the campaign, including Ciaran McMahon, Sinéad Crilly, Anthony Ferns and Richard Cook, who have all been strong advocates for comedy. Richard Cook founded the Cat Laughs festival in Kilkenny, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. There are many other festivals around the country as well as weekly, monthly and impromptu comedy nights across the country, which deserve to be supported. The purpose of today's Second Stage debate on Sinn Féin's Arts (Recognition of Comedy) (Amendment) Bill is to decide on the general principle that comedy should be recognised as art. Thankfully, in some ways the debate is already won, in the minds of most politicians and in the hearts of the public. We received expressions of support from TDs and Senators from all parties today, from Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and the Seanad Independent Group, at that meeting. They are in favour of giving comedians the recognition and support they deserve. Nobody from the Government or the Opposition thus far has expressed any opposition to the Bill, which is a good sign. It is not a party-political issue. I hope we are not going to divide on it. We might divide on the approach to it later on, but not on the intent of the Bill. The Minister for culture, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, has gone public and expressed the view on RTÉ that the Arts Council should fund comedy as an art form. In some ways it is down to the Arts Council, but thus far it has not been willing or encouraging of the Bill. I welcome the Minister's words. The proposal to delay the Bill by 18 months in its legislative journey is very strange given the expression of support. The last time the Minister and I were having a spat here in the Dáil, he asked me what I had against Listowel. What has he got against comedians? We will have that spat another time; he still has time to change his mind because this can progress to Committee Stage. Deputy Ciarán Ahern has proposed a delay of a month. That would be logical. When we vote on this in two weeks' time, that would put it up to Christmas. The committee would not receive the Bill until January at the earliest. The Brennan report on the Arts Council will have been published and digested at that stage, so the Minister would not have the excuse of having to wait for any reports. We would be able to progress this Bill to the pre-legislative scrutiny phase and deal with the outcome of that report. I hope this evening's debate will change his mind and that the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will withdraw or at least not move the amendment to delay this. The delay is costing people money. At the end of the day, these are comedians who do not get the recognition they deserve and definitely do not get the funding and income they deserve for keeping us all happy in the way we should be. There is no doubt that comedy is an art. Section 2 of the Arts Act 2003 defines the arts as "any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes". Comedy is not mentioned but nor are others. There is nothing exclusionary. The intention of the Bill, because they have been discriminated against, is just to insert that into the legislation so that there is no doubt. Ailish McCarthy wrote to all TDs in recent times and set out the case a lot more eloquently than I probably did. In one paragraph, she says: Comedy is an integral part of Ireland’s cultural identity. It has entertained, challenged, and reflected our society while contributing significantly to the nighttime economy. Irish comedians have built a strong global reputation, enhancing Ireland’s image abroad while providing a thriving industry at home. Yet, despite its cultural and economic impact, comedy remains excluded from the same supports available to other art forms. This is why we need your support to progress this bill to the next stage. The Bill needs to continue. It is not going to change the approach of the Arts Council overnight but it would if it became law within the next couple of months or a little bit further on if needs be. At least we would have thrashed out the impact of the change we are talking about. We are trying to ensure that the Arts Council, which has a substantial amount of funding, shares that among all of the art forms. Thus far it has not been sharing that for the benefit of comedians in Ireland. We need to ensure that comedians have access to that funding - not a guarantee but access. They need access to apply for grants from which they have been excluded and access to apply for the supports that they deserve as an art form. That is the intent of the Bill but it is also the consequence of it because then comedians will be mentioned in law. Ailish McCarthy managed to get the support of a number of arts organisations and those who are supportive of, in some ways, the gig economy. She listed many of them: Safe Gigs Ireland, Aiken Promotions, Arts and Disability Ireland, Funny Women, Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network, Give Us the Night, Disabled Artists and Disabled Academics, Youth Theatre Ireland, the Irish Theatre Institute, the Irish Comedy Guide, the Live Comedy Association, the British Comedy Guide, Gorm Media, the Irish Film Institute, Safe to Create and the Performing Arts Forum. Irish Equity, which represents actors and performers, has stressed that art is made by the labour of creative people and there is no doubt there is a great deal of labour involved in crafting a stand-up routine or a sketch or preparing an improv comedy. These take skills and require time and dedication to write, rehearse and perform. Learning and teaching are required to develop the skills involved in this art. Comedy is not a new art. Not alone did the Ancient Greeks consider drama to consist of both comedy and tragedy, but stand-up was present too in the Roman world. A wonderful story in Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome details how a comic dealt with a hostile audience. The comedian who was on stage before him was killed for a joke that did not go down well in 91 BC. I am not suggesting we go back to those days but at least there is an understanding that comedy has a long history and is well respected. "So spare the swallow, which the gods allow to nest safely in all your houses”, said the ancient comedian, and today we in the Dáil say it. It is time to nurture the swallows of tomorrow. We do not have to look beyond these shores, however, to see the rich history of comedy as an art form. In Gaelic Ireland, the comedic art of satire was considered the most powerful weapon of a poet, capable of toppling a person's reputation, status and kinship and was even suspected of causing a person physical harm, as Dr. Gordon Ó Riain outlined to RTÉ Brainstorm earlier this year. I hope the Dáil will accede to the request that this Bill be passed and go to Committee Stage to continue its legislative journey without any delay. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Sentiment score: 0.23

I will address the last point first. There is absolutely nothing in the Bill that requires a delay. The Minister has the Brennan report from the Arts Council. It will appear and require a study and perhaps legislation. There is no reason this Bill and the other cannot progress when needs be. There is nothing stopping us from having two arts Bills in the same Dáil term. This is quite simple. A delay is a joke, but it is a bad joke. How do we get to a point where the vital role of comedy, which was recognised in Brehon law, is not only left out of legislation but is actively excluded from funding by our Arts Council? There is a real implication to being left out of the Arts Act. By denying comedians recognition as artists, we deny them support. The Ministe's decision to try to delay this for another year and a half is a slap in the face. As I said, there is no reason for it. The Arts Council is already obliged under section 9 of the Arts Act to promote knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts and assist in improving standards in the arts, but because it does not consider comedy as art, it therefore refuses to do so. Where it provides scholarships, bursaries, residencies and mentorships to other artists, it does not provide that for comedians. The Arts Council is not required to exclude comedy. The Department of culture, under the previous Minister, Catherine Martin, made it clear that stand-up, sketch and improv could be considered part of a recognised art form of theatre. The Arts Council chose to continue to discriminate. That is shameful and that is why I introduced the Bill. There is no need for it, but because the Arts Council, in its current format, will not recognise that, it needs to be dealt with through legislation. Deputy Brennan made the point that other arts forms, such as country and western music, amateur drama, musical theatre and Irish dancing, fall under the Arts Act because it specifically names drama, music and so on. It is discrimination by the Arts Council in all of those forms. In this case, because it is not mentioned the council is able to claim that it will not fund it in any way. The Arts Council is failing in its duty under section 9. The Minister should withdraw or not pursue his delaying tactic. At the very least, he should adopt, on Wednesday week, Deputy Ahern's amendment. It would allow the Minister to delay this for a month which, in effect, delays it until the end of January. Even then, it would go to committee and the committee would decide. The Government has a majority on the committee and, therefore, can delay it even further. The Bill will not even reach Committee Stage. At least that would allow us to continue the debate in committee and allow those who are affected a platform to explain how it has affected them. It would allow the Arts Council a platform to explain why it took the decision it did. It would also allow the Minister a platform to explain why, if he believes at that stage there is a need for a further delay, that is his approach. The Arts Council continues to refuse to consider comedians as artists worthy of support. The wider legacy of snobbery that sees classical music but not country and western supported, funds opera but not musical theatre and excludes fashion design and storytelling as well as comedy needs to be addressed. That is a point we have heard. The Arts Council has to address that. If the arts committee needs to bring the council before it on matters other than IT supports and deal with the recognition of arts, that is something we should do. We should not have to discuss legislation to effect that. Comedian Sinead Crilly put it very powerfully earlier when she spoke to TDs and Senators. She said it feels like there simply is not money for people doing arts more for the working class. The same snobbery was on show the first time comedy was ever discussed the Dáil. Seamus Aloysius Burke said in 1924 he was very much afraid that public libraries would exhibit such things as musical comedy. We are still in the same space as were over 100 years ago. It would be a crying shame if, 100 years on, Fine Gael - the party that Deputy represented - provided the same reason for comedy to be excluded. I mentioned Richard Cook, who outlined the irony that the Arts Council funds venues and festivals that rely on comedy to fill seats in order to pay bills and develop audiences, yet it does not recognise comedy and closes its doors to comedians. He also challenged us to resist the hangover of old British colonial class-based ideas of art, where tragedy on stage was seen as noble but comedy rooted in the working class was seen as somewhat lesser. Other former colonies have gotten over this legacy. Canada, Australia and New Zealand are inclusive in their funding of the arts. Scotland has done the same. We have lagged behind. That is not policy. We need a policy of cultural decolonisation and that can be supported by accepting the Bill. It is about deciding for ourselves what art means in our own voices and on our own terms. Our culture has always integrated laughter and intellect. It is built into the DNA of how we communicate, from Swift to Wilde, Beckett to Dave Allen, Deirdre O'Kane, Dylan Moran, Dara Ó Briain, David O'Doherty, Alison Spittle to Joanne McNally and Tommy Tiernan. Our best comic artists have always used humour to express insight, understanding and truth. We come from a storytelling culture, often an unwritten culture. That brings us back to our colonial past, where truth and laughter live side by side. The simple impulse that gave us the seanachaí, poet and playwright also gave us stand-up. It would be extraordinary if the country that does comedy best does not recognise it. At this stage, I want to recognise the contributions of the other Deputies who spoke, including Deputies Mitchell, Cronin, Gibney, Ahern, Brennan and Heneghan, and the Minister of State. It was an interesting debate and it was useful to have it. I was not sure whether I ever wanted to hear some of the commentary about people's personal hygiene habits, but at the end of the day it was a bit of a joke and a laugh. We all laughed at it and we are all together. We did not fall out and we will not fall out on this matter. I can see the headlines tomorrow about all the comedians in the Dáil and how many of them are connected. One of the jobs of a comedian is to force us to look through laughter at our lives and positions and make sure that we can laugh at ourselves as well as at the world. Even in the toughest times the jokes, craic and comedy are what breaks the ice. I hope the Minister, in the less than two weeks we have before we come back here to vote, will reconsider his decision to have an 18-month delay and adopt Deputy Ahern's amendment. If he wants to proceed with the delay, I would be happy to accept the amendment to ensure a short delay. It would be the same as passing the Bill today. The arts committee is booked up until Christmas and early into the new year. Let us adopt the Bill and continue the debate. Let us make sure that comedians in Ireland get their due recognition.

Sentiment score: 0.15