Philanthropy is an underutilised source of funding for the arts, and the new Ireland should expect and encourage those who have prospered most to give back to national life, the Arts Council has said.

In its presentation of the annual review for 2007 to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Mr. Martin Cullen T.D.,  the Arts Council said it had been looking hard for extra ways to fund its ambitious plans to bring more high quality art to people in every part of Ireland.

"In Ireland we recognise that with that great personal wealth comes a responsibility to give, to display the generosity, wisdom and quiet patriotism that fosters those aspects of human endeavour that bestow life with meaning and possibility," said Olive Braiden, Chair of the Arts Council.

"Such generosity, if awakened and harnessed, in conjunction with the work of the Arts Council, would significantly enhance the flowering of the arts which has already begun," Ms. Braiden added.

The Arts Council promised to outline to the Minister by the end of June its plan for encouraging philanthropy, and asked for his assistance and engagement in developing such a culture.

http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/news/news.aspx?article=54a993cb-d873-420a-b0b0-d13b3822c268