Abbey turns a blind eye to Eden apple

ArtScape:  Isn't it odd to see that, such a short time after a definitive decision was announced by the Minister for Arts on George's Dock as the site for the new Abbey building, Eden House on the Liffey comes up for sale.

The four-storey over basement office block on the corner of Eden Quay and Marlborough Street must surely, as one of the main buildings adjacent to the current Abbey building, have been one of the buildings considered for possible acquisition to extend the "footprint" of the theatre.

The OPW engaged consultants a few years ago to examine the possibilities for the Abbey's expansion on the present site, and, as that organisation reminded us this week, concluded that it would take a considerable amount of time - and money - to acquire the buildings that would have been needed.

After a few more false starts, including the possibility of Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square, the present Docklands option was settled on. In answer to an inquiry about Eden House, the department this week reiterated the decision that the George's Dock site will be the Abbey's new home.

Neither the OPW nor the department were aware that the building was now up for sale, nor indeed is it clear whether it would have been useful in building up a land mass for extending the theatre. Still, for the record, according to The Irish Times Commercial Property supplement this week, the guide is €1.2 million for the freehold interest in the 15,005sq ft building.

"With the proposed redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre and improving public transport, this building offers purchasers immediate income in an area that will see considerable capital upside in the foreseeable future," selling agent Robert Murphy of CBRE is quoted as saying. The sentimental among us should sigh now for what might have been.

RTÉ subverting the arts?

First they dump Rattlebag from its nice afternoon perch, and grudgingly say they'll replace it with another arts show in an 11pm slot (stifle yawn), which according to Ana Leddy "gives us the freedom to explore the arts in an edgy, more experimental way", for whoever's listening, at least. Then this week RTÉ television decided that The View's usual (yawn) slot of 11.15pm was too early for its special look-back at the last 20 years of Irish arts, part of the much heralded The Time of Our Lives? series, and moved the programme to 11.35pm on Tuesday. I still haven't managed to watch the videotape I made of it. Do they think anyone with a passing interest in the arts must by definition be a vampire, or are they trying to kill off their viewing and listening figures? As Tania Banotti of Theatre Forum commented this week on the dropping of Rattlebag: "Its axing means a loss of profile and audience for all arts forms: theatre, film, music, and the visual arts.

"It was RTÉ radio's commitment as a public service radio station and once it's gone from the daytime schedules it'll be incredibly hard to get a decent slot ever again. The jingle 'RTÉ supporting the arts' is a bit hollow now, isn't it?"

This, then, is how they "build on a long-standing commitment to the arts on radio" (Leddy's phrase on Wednesday night). We're really glad they're not trying to undermine it, then.Higgins takes the chamber

Just as this year's IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses Festival is about to kick off, Ciara Higgins has been appointed incoming artistic director, to take over from pianist Hugh Tinney, who has programmed the past six years of the festival. Higgins, who has been press officer for the festival for "oh, a hundred years" (or more accurately, nine) is delighted to move into the programming spotlight. The festival specialises in putting on chamber music in the sort of venues for which it was composed: large, gracious houses and historic buildings around the country.

Higgins, who is also public relations and concerts manager with the Royal Irish Academy of Music, has already started planning next year's event, and wants to focus over the next few years on collaborative projects with Irish and international musicians, an area where the West Cork Chamber Music Festival has made great strides.

"Irish musicians on a certain level can play anywhere in the world, there is a wealth of talent there," says Higgins, who sees such collaboration resulting in return engagements for Irish musicians. She also hopes to eventually develop a "festival within a festival", with a range of reasonably priced events at a central location.

This year's IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses Festival runs from June 8th to 17th, www.musicirishhouses.com.

Jazz takes two at Allianz

Jazz was a big winner in this week's Allianz Business2Arts Awards, which were presented by Minister for Arts John O'Donoghue on Wednesday night in the Mansion House, taking two big prizes. The Judges' Special Recognition Award went to Diageo Ireland for the Guinness Jazz Festival, and the €4,000 Dublin Airport Authority Arts Award went to Improvised Music Company for its work with the Jazz Architects. The awards recognise outstanding collaborations and contributions to the arts in Ireland by organisations through sponsorship, from sectors including banking, manufacturing, beverage, property and architecture.

The Best Collaboration by a Small Business award went to Hudson Associate Architects and Graffiti Theatre Company; Best Collaboration Enhancing Creativity winners were Zinc Design Consultants and Dublin Fringe Festival; Best Sponsorship in Kind went to Coillte Teo and Sculpture in Woodland; Best Collaboration in the Community winner was Dublin Docklands Development Authority for Honk!; Best Collaboration Enhancing Corporate Identity was won by Glen Dimplex and the Irish Writers' Centre; and the Best Ongoing Collaboration was Anglo Irish Bank and the Abbey Theatre.

Football farce in Kilkenny

Breaking news from Kilkenny: Question Marks around Match Fitness Lead to Emergency Football Press Conference. For anyone in Kilkenny for the Smithwick's Cat Laughs Festival this weekend, there's an emergency football press conference this afternoon in Cleere's Pub at 5pm. The press conference, in advance of the legendary (ahem) comedians' football match tomorrow afternoon (Fairgreen, kick-off 2.30pm) is in response to growing concerns about the "fitness, form and focus of all the football players involved". The pre-match conference will be hosted by Barry Murphy and will include a satellite link-up with Steve Staunton, with big-screen footage of past festival football matches. Press passes will be issued on the door on a first-come-first-served basis. Unconfirmed reports suggest representatives from both teams will attend on the day to address allegations in person, including Jason Byrne (captain of Irish team), David O'Doherty (Irish team manager), Karl Spain (captain of the Rest of the World Team) and Fred MacAulay (manager of the Rest of the Word team).

Frank Kelly will play the role of Frosch on June 12th, when the Glyndebourne Festival Opera presents a concert performance of Die Fledermaus \II at the Hampton Court Palace Festival. The fully-costumed performance, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus, is part of this year's Glyndebourne Festival.

Grant Watson, who took over as visual arts curator of Project Arts Centre five years ago, is set to take up a curatorial position at MUHKA, Antwerp in July. Watson commented, "In the five years that I have been in Dublin the visual arts scene has changed considerably, reflecting a growing sense of confidence - and this is something that I believe Project has been able to contribute towards. I hope to continue my close connection with the Irish art scene and that the relationships that I have developed here will continue in a different context".