Madam, – We are a small non-commercial gallery based in Shanghai China. We have been very lucky over the years to have received funding from Culture Ireland. With this funding we have shown the work of hundreds of Irish artists in group and solo exhibitions. We have also produced some wonderful catalogues. These exhibitions have also featured on many national newspapers here in China as well as on national TV. One such exhibition featured on the Culture Express programme on CCTV 9 and had an audience of over 60 million people. That is 60 million people being introduced to Ireland for the first time.
At a time when Government departments are being accused of waste, Culture Ireland offers real value for money. I hope that Government will have the foresight to continue funding a great organisation. – Yours, etc,