I had an interesting breakfast meeting in the Cultúrlann this morning with Ed Vernon of the Board of Invest NI and Howard Hastings, Chair of Northern Ireland Tourist Board, before we took a dander over to St Mary's University College to view the Harry Clarke stained glass windows in the chapel.
The key question for our economic agencies is how cultural activity can create jobs and how they in turn can recalibrate to support activities which will produce employment.
One idea which has impressed Ed is the Paint Hall in East Belfast, the former shipyard warehouse where ships were painted.
There's an interesting video on the NI Screen website in which Tom Hanks and Bill Murray extol the virtues of the hall where they shot the movie City of Embers. And you can read an interesting promotional brochure for the hall here.
Could the Gaeltacht Quarter host a facility of some type which would be of use to all those making programmes for TG4 — thus bringing employment and cultural activity to the west of the city?
I hope to find out just who owns the Paint Hall, how it is funded and perhaps determine whether it represents a useful precedent for the Gaeltacht Quarter.
Later this morning, I had an interesting meeting with the deputy first minister Martin McGuinness to discuss our Gaeltacht Quarter artpiece, An Lúbra, at Stormont Castle. Joining me were Ciarán Mackel (left) of Ciarán Mackel Ard Architects, Bobby Ballagh (centre) (forget what Wikipedia says, he's delighted to be called Bobby), and Sammy Douglas of the Ullans Academy — I snapped them outside the Castle after our meet.
4 comments:
There is tax insentives and funding for companies who want to produce in painthall as long as they employ a percentage of local talent, and thus keep the money circulating. It is to be applauded. This could be reproduced in the quarter, you need a space,imagination and drive, something which this area has by the bucket load. TV and live performance will never have the budgets of Hoolywood, but it is as much about the process of how we work as the end product.The next idea will always come along as crative and financial boundaries are pushed.
All local business will benifit as a continued increased footfall will always have a positive outcome.
the koffeeman
It's time to take the 'Scéal-lann', originally mooted for An Nasc, out of cold storage and dust it off for the Gaeltacht Quarter. Belfast's answer to Sabhal Mór Ostaigh is what you're looking for....if it can happen and be viable on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, it can happen and be viable, particulary now that there's a critical mass of production companies building, in the city centre of Belfast, which is where to all intents and purposes the Gaeltacht Quarter is located.
Concubhar,
An Bradan Feasa did what you are suggesting back in 2003-04. They were replicating in part Sabhail Mor Ostaig.
Then the political powers in west Belfast came along -- in their infinite wisdom -- and blocked all funding at Springvale for An Bradan Feasa.
The political powers do not have the vision nor the courage to do anything positive for the local community.
This is all about control and making sure that working class people never get the opportunity to progress and then always asking those same people for their vote because we are all supposed to be so incredibly stupid.
Let's bring Concubhar back to Belfast!!
Cork does not need his talents anymore.
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