Madam, - The loss of the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre to Dublin's fragile arts infrastructure, already marginalised through the insatiable appetite for property development and speculation, will be acute.
There now stand identikit apartments, offices and retail units where once were modest but spirited independent venues where citizens could reap the benefits of metropolitan life and enjoy live art, especially music. Mother Redcaps, McGonagles, The TV Club, Toners, The Magnet, The Baggot Inn - all woven into the rich folklore of this city, and all gone.
In time, the NCH's proposed 2,400-seat auditorium at Earlsfort Terrace will be a splendid asset, but where are the smaller venues that will incubate the Irish talent that one day might grace its imposing stage?
Whether in tourism, inward investment or diplomatic relations, Ireland Inc. likes to exploit this island's ability to punch above its cultural weight, and wisely so. But culture is no different from any other asset in our much vaunted knowledge economy, and small venues are the laboratories where its R&D takes place. - Yours, etc,
GERRY GODLEY, Director, Improvised Music Company, Dublin 2.