Taoisigh And The Arts

Taoisigh And The Arts looks afresh at major political figures in post-1922 Ireland through the work of writers such as Kate O'Brien, Brendan Kennelly and Marina Carr, and visual artists like Robert Ballagh and Edward McGuire.

Kevin Rafter examines one part of the legacy of national leaders including W.T. Cosgrave, Eamon de Valera and Charles Haughey, and considers the priority these politicians placed on the arts during their time in office.

From censorship to poverty to paltry public investment in the arts, the interactions of these artistic and political characters has been defined by neglect. But it is a story where, perhaps, cultural and artistic matters will no longer have to wait.