The Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin; The Centre for Irish-Scottish and Comparative Studies, Trinity College Dublin; The Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen; and The Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen

present

The Arts, the State, Identity and the Wealth of Nations:
Case Studies of Ireland and Scotland

an interdisciplinary workshop at
Trinity College, Dublin
23 & 24 April 2009

This inter-disciplinary workshop will examine the relationship between the arts, the state, national/regional identity, and the wealth of nations. The speakers will enable us to compare and contrast the changing relationships between the arts, national/regional identity and the state in two comparable European nations: Ireland and Scotland. They will consider the ‘wealth of nations’ in both cultural and financial terms.

The workshop will focus on three areas of the arts which relate specifically to questions of national and regional identity in an Irish and Scottish context: museums and the built heritage; traditional and folk music; and literature and drama.

The concept of a national or regional identity is often vague and, sometimes, divisive. Identities are also social constructions which are liable to shift and change over time. In this context, it seems reasonable to ask whether the publicly-funded arts should be involved with the necessarily political act of fixing and ossifying particular images of regional and national identity? Who gets to define and fix these notions of identity, and what is the point of privileging notions of identity which might not be able to survive were it not for handouts from the state? 

These issues are of particular relevance in Ireland and Scotland, both in a historical context and in the light of an emerging and distinctive Scottish debate in relation to the arts.   Notions of what it means to be Irish have changed rapidly over the past two decades. How have the arts responded to, and impacted upon, these enormous changes? Will these new conceptions of identity and nationality survive the strains that will be placed on Irish society over the coming years by a completely altered economic landscape? What role should, or will, the arts play in these cultural and economic adjustments? In what ways has the experience of Scotland been similar to, or different from, Ireland, in this regard?

Pre-registration is essential. To register, or ask for further details about the workshop, please contact Dr. Jason McElligott (jmcellig@tcd.ie)

Conference Programme

Thursday 23 April
Venue: Keough Naughton Notre Dame Centre, 58 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Time: 5.30 p.m. – 7.00p.m.

Session 1: The Arts and National/Community Identity
Chair: Dr Gillian Doyle (University of Glasgow)
Speakers:
Professor David McCrone (University of Edinburgh),'National Identity and Culture in a Cold Climate: the case of Scotland'.
Professor Kevin Whelan (Notre Dame University), ‘Imagining the Irish Future: Between Aesthetics and Politics’.

Friday 24 April
Venue: School of Nursing & Midwifery, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2
Time: 9.15 a.m. – 4.15 p.m.

Session 2: The Arts and the State (09.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.)
Chair: Ms Patricia Quinn
Speakers:
Professor John O’Hagan (Trinity College Dublin), ‘National Identity, Future Generations & Economic Spin-Offs: The Role of the State’.
Mr. Martin Drury (The Arts Council),‘In Praise of Venn Diagrams’.

Session 3: Museums and Built Heritage (11.00 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.) 
Chair: Dr Sighle Bhreathnach-Lynch (National Gallery of Ireland)
Speakers:
Mr Pat Cooke (University College Dublin), ‘The Economics of Identity: Developments in the Irish Heritage Sector, 1989-2007’.
Mr Mark O’Neill (Glasgow City Council), ‘History, Heritage and the Search for a Usable Past: Urban Identity and Tourism in Glasgow 1980-2010’.

Session 4: The Roles of Folk and Traditional Music (1.30 p.m. to 2.45 p.m.)
Chair: Ms Mary Cloake (Director, Arts Council of Ireland)
Speakers:
Dr Ian Russell (University of Aberdeen), ‘Understanding the Performance of Scotland’s Traditional Music and Song as Cultural, Social, and Economic Assets’.
Dr. Fintan Vallely (author, musician and academic), ‘Dalliance with Devilment: National Identity Swinging to the Music of the Masses’.  

Session 5: Drama and Literature (3.00 p.m. to 4.15 p.m.)
Chair: Professor Cairns Craig (University of Aberdeen)
Speakers:
Professor Adrienne Scullion (University of Glasgow) 'Gamblers and Speculators: the National Theatre of Scotland Stakes a Claim'
Professor Terence Brown (Trinity College Dublin) 'The Wealth of the Nation: Proper Accounts'.  

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Please note that this conference takes place in two different venues:
Thursday, 23 April: Keough Naughton Notre Dame Centre, 58 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Friday 24 April: The Lecture Theatre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2.

Funding Bodies