The Public and the Arts (2006) study was commissioned by the Arts Council to provide information on the current behaviour and attitudes of Irish people to the arts. Arising from the study the Arts Council has asked a range of commentators to give their opinions and perspectives on the value of the arts. These pamphlets are intended to provoke discussion and to focus attention on the crucial role the arts can and do play in our lives as individuals, as members of diverse communities and as part of our wider society. The first thee pamphlets in the series are as follows: We've built it; why won't they come? by John Burns, news editor of the Irish edition of The Sunday Times. The Feel-Good Gulag by Ian Kilroy, writer and journalist, arts editor of the Irish Examiner. The Pursuit of Glorious Failure by John Waters.

http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/FAQ/value_of_the_arts.aspx