May 24, 2009 Sunday Independent ALLIANZ BUSINESS TO ARTS AWARDS 2009 3
A SIGN
OF THE
TIMES
Irish Times House on Tara St, Dublin City
This year’s Allianz Business to Arts
‘Judges Special Recognition’ Award goes
to ‘The Irish Times’ and Gerry Smyth, its
managing editor, for their outstanding
contribution to the arts in Ireland Maeve Donovan, managing director of ‘The Irish Times’ with Best Actress Award winner
Dearbhla Crotty at this year’s Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
S newspapers “The Theatre Awards are very proud to have.” arts sponsorship, and that “We speak very directly
A
around the the benchmark for our indus- The Irish Times doesn’t just the two “meet at a very to the audience, and people
world continue try in terms of recognition. If sponsor one art form, instead important junction”. look to us for our coverage,
their fascina- it wasn’t for The Irish Times, supporting an eclectic mix “At The Irish Times, there whether it’s for reviews,
tion with all there wouldn’t be that option. of events, from the National is terrific support and whether you agree or disagree
matters eco- It has a very high standard in Concert Hall Celebrity Con- acknowledgement of where with the critic, but people do
nomic, the arts are battling it judging the work, and makes cert Series, Dublin City the paper’s place is in rela- look to us to know what’s
out to retain editorial space. quite a commitment,” she says. Gallery, The Hugh Lane to tionship to the arts. On the happening,” says Smyth.
One newspaper that con- The awards were originally Electric Picnic and this year’s one hand we have the edi- Byrne backs up this asser-
tinues to sing from a different co-sponsored by the ESB until Galway Arts Festival. tor, Geraldine Kennedy, who tion: “All of us working in, or
hymn sheet, however, is The 2004, but when that sponsor- The newspaper also has an has been very supportive, and interested in, the arts owe
Irish Times, which has been ship ended The Irish Times ongoing relationship with the on the other we have the The Irish Times a huge debt of
awarded for its long-standing took on sole sponsorship. Irish Museum of Modern Art. managing director, Maeve gratitude. Its expert and sus-
contribution to the arts at this Maeve Donovan, manag- Philomena Byrne, head of Donovan, whose gift it is to tained coverage of the arts,
year’s Allianz Business to ing director, The Irish Times, public affairs, says such sup- give advertising space to the day in and day out, is second
Arts Awards. Managing edi- says it’s an important rela- port is vital. arts. Both have been terrific to none in this country.
tor Gerry Smyth has also been tionship for the newspaper: in their support and how they “For me, a review or feature
recognised for his personal “From a corporate perspec- respond to requests.” on an exhibition, theatre pro-
commitment to the arts. tive, the awards really allow
‘The arts are
Indeed, Smyth says both duction or concert by The
The Irish Times’ approach us to address a particular seg- Donovan and Kennnedy Irish Times is guaranteed to
to the arts is two-pronged, ment of our audience, and to
going to be even
recognise the importance enhance my understanding
with the commercial and edi- demonstrate our commit- of providing extensive arts and enjoyment of that event
torial arms of the newspaper ment to the arts in a very vis- more important coverage. – whether I agree with the
both taking a keen interest. ible way.”
in a country that
Editorially, the newspaper’s opinion expressed in the
Commercially, The Irish Theatre Forum’s decision coverage is extensive, with a piece or not.”
Times has shown great com- to single out Gerry Smyth for
now has to
full arts page daily, The Ticket Smyth believes that during
mitment to the arts, sponsor- recognition was an easy one, on Fridays and The Weekend the current economic malaise,
ing a wide variety of events. notes Banotti.
re-imagine its
magazine on Saturday. Arts arts events and their subse-
The newspaper has spon- “We would be lost without stories aren’t confined to the
sense of self and
quent editorial coverage will
sored and administered Ire- Gerry Smyth because he’s a arts pages, however, and reg- play an even more important
land’s national Theatre great advocate for arts cov-
also reposition
ularly appear throughout role in people’s lives. He says
Awards, which provide a erage in The Irish Times, not the paper. it is a time for the arts sector
benchmark for the industry, just through the Arts page
its image abroad’
Says Donovan: “Often with to “come into its own”.
for the past 13 years. During but through all areas of the arts coverage, it can appear “I have an utter conviction
that time it has made both a paper,” she says. that there’s a perception of that the arts are going to
financial and logistical com- Smyth, himself, is modest elitism, but if you look across be even more important in
mitment to the awards. about receiving the award, “Its support for the arts the spectrum of what The a country that now has to
The Irish Times and Smyth but says the Irish Times The- through its “in association” Irish Times offers, such as re-imagine its sense of self
were nominated for the atre Awards are very close advertising sponsorship has The Ticket, that coverage is and also reposition its image
award by Theatre Forum, to his heart. provided a lifeline for a host across a spectrum.” abroad.
which represents 240 mem- “They are so because the- of arts organisations and In addition, The Irish Times “The arts has always been
bers such as theatre and atre is such a very robust events for many years, as has has paid special homage to extremely good at doing that
dance production companies, art form, which has gone its more high-profile initia- some of the country’s greatest and I think the support that
performing-arts festivals and through huge expansion, tives such as the annual the- artists through its special is now needed to do it in an
individuals. even over the 13 years that atre awards,” she says. supplements. These have even stronger way is vital.
It’s a much-deserved hon- we’ve had the theatre awards. Smyth believes there is a included the Beckett cente- It’s an opportune moment
Top: Gerry Smyth, managing editor, ‘The Irish Times’, winner of the Judges Special
our for the newspaper, accord- There has been wave after bridge between the com- nary supplement in 2006 and and I hope the arts grabs it
Recognition Award at the 2009 Allianz Business to Arts Awards; Bottom: Celebrating
ing to Tania Banotti, chief wave of development, and it’s mercial and editorial arms of this year’s Friel at 80 and and bands together to make
theatrical achievement at this year’s Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
executive, Theatre Forum. something that we’ve been The Irish Times in terms of its Heaney at 70 publications. its case.”
Reaching the high notes
The Ballymun Music Programme and Music Room, winner of the €5,000 Dublin Airport Authority Award, is a shining example of how
artistic expression can influence entire communities, invoking both economic and social change
T
HE landscape of
Ballymun has
changed dramati-
cally in the past
decade. And, from
an economic and social stand-
point, the North Dublin area
has received huge investment.
A unique arts project, which
is symbolic of just how far the
town has come, has now been
recognised at the Allianz
Business to Arts Awards.
Specifically, the Ballymun
Music Programme and Music
Room have won the ¤5,000
Dublin Airport Authority
Award in honour of the pro-
gramme’s achievements since
its inception in 1999.
In February of this year,
the Music Room, the first
dedicated practice and per-
formance space for the Bal-
lymun Music Programme,
opened its doors.
The room is the culmina-
Above: Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets pupils at the opening of Ballymun Music Room;
tion of much hard work by
Right: Students rehearse as part of the Ballymun Music Programme
the programme, and is indica-
tive of how music is fast to 150 people, including the programme. becomes part of Ballymun’s children from seven primary third-level education, with Programme was spawned
becoming an intrinsic ele- band, the space also has an “The building is not simply social consciousness. and secondary schools in Bal- music as part of their studies. from the ‘Breaking the Cycle’
ment of Ballymun’s educa- acoustic quality equal to that for music. It can be used for “That ties in with our holis- lymun, with about 700 chil- In February, a choir of 250 initiative, which was funded
tional and cultural fabric. of a recording studio. dance, martial arts, meetings tic approach to use art as a dren involved each year. students from the Ballymun by the Department of Edu-
Ron Cooney, musical direc- An acoustics consultant and public speaking, etc.”
‘Music education
tool to engage the local pop- Five bands now practise Music Programme also pre- cation and Science and DIT.
tor and project manager, Bal- fine-tuned the room’s space, He says the Music Room’s
has arrived
ulation, bringing people into music in four different schools miered a composition by the Its major stakeholders over
lymun Music Programme, says adding fabric panelling that location at a T-junction on the fold of art. in the Ballymun locality. composer, Darragh O’Toole. the years have been Ballymun
this new facility to play music helps to absorb as much Dane Road is also a landmark
in Ballymun
“The Music Room is part of “We have two string orches- The students performed Regeneration and the board of
will make a huge difference. sound as possible. The Music architecturally, providing a the physical infrastructure of tras, two wind bands and a the composition, which is St Joseph’s National School.
“This space for music is in Room also features a mildly strong visual focus within
and has
Ballymun. All the schools are brass band. These groups all aptly called A New Day, at Run by DIT’s Community
response to activity that has sprung floor of solid oak, Ballymun itself. very positive about the pro- play at 8am in the morning,” the Helix, along with RTÉ Links Department, the pro-
been going on for the past which makes the space suit- According to Harte, Bally- been accepted gramme and they all see the explains Cooney. Cór na nÓg Choir plus some gramme was initially con-
couple of years. That’s a real able for activities such as mun Regeneration took a
by the
value of it.” The children also get a musicians from the RTÉ ceived to help combat social
statement that music educa- dancing. holistic view of the area in Indeed, the two main objec- group lesson during the week. National Concert Orchestra. and economic disadvantage,
tion has arrived in Ballymun Ballymun Regeneration general when coming up with
people here’
tives of the Ballymun Music In addition, Dublin Insti- In an exciting development giving children an opportu-
and has been accepted by the funded the building process the design. Programme are to use music tute of Technology’s (DIT) since then, Cooney says a nity to learn through the arts.
people here,” says Cooney. for the Music Room, while “The Music Room isn‘t as a vehicle for the personal Conservatory of Music acts recording of A New Day will “The Music Programme is
The physical building, The Archdiocese of Dublin seen in isolation. We don’t and academic development as an occasional adviser to now happen, and a CD will be an example of a big effort to
which was developed by Bal- provided the site. see any one building in iso- of the children of Ballymun the music programme, pro- released in the lead up to have cross-agency collabo-
lymun Regeneration Ltd, was Cian Harte, senior execu- lation. They are all part of a and to give every child in the viding scholarships. Christmas this year. ration within Ballymun,”
opened by President Mary tive architect with Ballymun suite of facilities we’re trying area the opportunity for per- Says Cooney: “We have 14 Initial recordings started says Harte.
McAleese and Archbishop Regeneration, explains how to create.” sonal development through kids on scholarships in DIT on 21 May, with Cooney refer- “It involves as many inter-
Emeritus Desmond Tutu back the Music Room project was He points to how the Music the medium of music. this year, for example.” ring to how the album will be ested parties as possible, giv-
in February. part of Ballymun Regenera- Room will influence children’s Since its inception, the pro- Two former participants of part of the “new Ballymun”. ing everybody a certain level
With a capacity to hold up tion’s community facilities perception of school as it gramme has grown to involve the programme are now in The Ballymun Music of ownership.”
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