The healthy pulse of traditional arts will be checked this weekend at the Douglas Hyde Conference, Arts Council consultant Liz Doherty tells Siobhán Long

If the pulse of our tradition were to be taken today, and compared to a reading from a decade ago, it's likely that the current reading would soar into the stratosphere. Our music, song and dance are in a rude state of good health, thanks largely to the grassroots activities of musicians, storytellers and foot-smiths who've coaxed and cajoled them into the fabric of Irish life.

This weekend's Douglas Hyde Conference in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, will explore the ways in which the Irish language and our traditional arts have fared, as well as celebrating the creative diversity of those who've been actively involved in both.

Dr Liz Doherty, Donegal fiddler, academic, teacher, writer and, currently, traditional arts consultant to the Arts Council, will speak at this year's conference about her involvement in a range of dynamic Roscommon arts initiatives.

Doherty's has adeptly navigated her way around the intricate terrain of traditional music. Since her appointment in March, her priority has been to realise the potential identified in the report of the Special Committee on the Traditional Arts, published last September. After years of chronic underfunding, Doherty has played a pivotal role in the Arts Council's recent unprecedented financial commitment to the traditional arts, which will see it grow from a current level of under €700,000 to €3 million next year, with further increases promised in 2007 and 2008. Last month, the Arts Council also announced an additional €500,000 in funding for 2005, to be disbursed over the coming months.

Doherty is undoubtedly pleased with the increased status of traditional arts reflected in this funding commitment, and her recent extensive public consultations have reinforced her belief that there's a hunger across the country for greater access and better support for traditional music, song and dance.

"There's a change in attitude and perspective, which is as important as the money," she says. "Having been out and about, meeting people for the past few weeks, there's so much potential out there, and it's fantastic to be in a position where the Arts Council is going to be able to help people realise this potential."

Doherty's reputation as a musician whose ears are keenly tuned to the nuances of the music has afforded her an unquestionable credibility in traditional music circles.

"Certainly what I've been hearing from people across the country is that they're delighted to have a clear communication channel with the Arts Council," she says. "That also means that I'm in a position to translate people's plans into action, and even educate people internally within the Council, but the success of the Traditional Arts Initiative will rely, largely, on the traditional arts community engaging with the whole process, helping me to help them."

The plans may sound somewhat vague or lacking in concrete detail, and many might wonder at the sanity of taking on the role given the politically-charged debate within and across trad circles. But Doherty's trademark enthusiasm for the music was the lynchpin on which she based her decision.

"I observed very keenly the whole consultative process which happened during the time that the special committee was meeting last year, and I saw the value of using the collective voice," she says. "I've been the full-time musician, I've been the academic, and I've been the student, so I've seen it from all the perspectives. I've also had my own dealings with the Arts Council in the past and I've been quite frustrated with them. Sometimes you'd apply for funding and get it, no bother, and then, at other times, you'd spend days filling in forms and work really hard on what you knew was a good project, and get nothing."

She's unequivocal in her views about the need for the Arts Council to adapt to the traditional arts community, in order to build a mutual respect and ensure that traditional artists will engage meaningfully with the council in coming years.

"The Arts Council needs to refocus," she insists. "It's not that the traditional arts community has to change what it's doing. The Arts Council has to change its perspective completely, and has to understand the traditional arts community in terms of artistic practice. What's going on musically is fantastic, so the council has to be open enough to respect the art form for what it is, and it has to rethink how it relates to the people involved in the traditional arts.

"The Arts Council must empower the traditional arts community to develop and sustain its own art forms and practices, and it must act as an advocate for them. Ultimately it must move towards the informed integration of the traditional arts into the mainstream of the Arts Council's activities in ways that are fully cognisant of the integrity and dynamics of the traditional arts." While this may sound like yet another bland press release, Doherty does appear to have credibility, and the confidence of the musicians.

There are a number of initial simple steps which the council can take to remedy past failings, according to Doherty. Her recent consultative meetings in Miltown Malbay during the Willie Clancy Summer School have drawn queues of people keen to find out what the Arts Council can do to support traditional music, song and dance.

"The Arts Council has been this remote body in Dublin," she says. "There's been no one person who you could lift up the phone and have a conversation with, who understood the tradition. The Arts Council has recognised this, and there's a real mission on now to change the way we communicate."

She is excited about one key change that has been made to the funding application process for traditional artists.

" 'Deis' (meaning 'opportunity') is a new proposal-based scheme. And we'll be establishing a set of clear criteria over the coming weeks, but it will be available on a rolling basis, rather than having just one application deadline," Doherty explains. "We'll be setting up a network of mentors around the country to help people articulate their ideas on paper. There won't be a baseline or upper limit for Deis, so you can apply for €5,000 or €50,000. It's wide open to individuals, groups and organisations, and applications will be accepted from September 1st. Our overall aim is to make sure that the Arts Council is responsive rather than prescriptive. We want to empower and enable, rather than make value judgments on what people are doing."

Doherty's own experience of taking action on the ground includes the Roscommon project which is the focus of one of the events at the Douglas Hyde school. "I worked on a project for two years with the local arts officer, Philip Delamere", Doherty says. The aim was to raise the profile of traditional arts in Roscommon and they worked on five projects under the umbrella "Roscommon: A Wealth Awaiting".

Education was a key area and one of the projects, Feadóg Online, involved live teaching of music in schools, using broadband. Another had musicians going into schools to teach, and another was building an instrument bank so that children could try out different instruments. They also devised a newsletter, a website (www.roscommonarts.com), recorded a CD, The Flute Players of Roscommon, and developed a show, Crossing the Shannon, with Niall Ó Callanáin as the musical director.

And regarding the future, it'll be interesting to see how plans can be translated into action after traditional arts' recent windfall.

Trad beat: Doherty's plan

1 Simplify access for the traditional arts community to the Arts Council (liz.doherty@artscouncil.ie; 01-6180269)

2 Increase awareness in the traditional arts community of the Arts Council and the Traditional Arts Initiative

3 Assist the traditional arts community in application processes, training and putting proposals together

4 Work within the Arts Council towards a fully informed understanding of the traditional arts

The Douglas Hyde Conference will take place in venues throughout Co Roscommon from tomorrow until Sunday. Information: www.roscommonarts.com/hyde or 0906-637259. Details of the Arts Council's Traditional Arts Initiative can be located at www.artscouncil.ie