At this time of year preparations would normally be well under way for the RoolaBoola Children’s Arts Festival organised annually by The Linenhall. However, the Linenhall has had a substantial cut in its funding this year which meant that the Festival had to be cancelled.

Firstly, a great many children and community-based groups will miss out on the opportunity to get involved in really valuable creative activity. The Festival included workshops and shows of the highest quality, specifically designed to introduce young people to a broad range of arts activity. Of course, while doing this, they were having loads and loads of fun. More than 5000 children took part in last year’s festival.

Secondly, a large number of artists and arts workers were employed by the Festival and so they miss out on valuable work. Many organisations such as the Linenhall have suffered cutbacks, and so these artists have suffered greatly in terms of their employment. As a nation we are proud of our artistic and cultural heritage. Our writers, actors, filmmakers, artists and musicians are celebrated at home and acclaimed worldwide. They need to be supported with viable employment.

Finally, the effects of the cancellation will be felt by the town itself and the wider community. The impact of the parade and the general excitement generated by thousands of enthusiastic children was palpable, and contributed significantly to the sense of community in the town.

This is the time of year when the government budgets are being prepared. So, if you miss RoolaBoola and would like to have it back next year, act now. John O’Donoghue, Minister for the Arts, needs to hear loudly and clearly that the arts must be funded adequately. The Linenhall is doing all it can to make a strong case but it needs your support.

You can write your own message or you could use something like this (just cut and paste it into the e-mail):

Dear

I wish to protest at the cut in arts funding experienced by, among others, The Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar. Because of this cut the Linenhall has had to cancel the RoolaBoola Children’s Arts Festival. This affects the more than 5000 children who took part in last year’s festival as well as the large number of artists and arts workers who were employed by the Festival. Please ensure that in future the Linenhall receives sufficient funding to allow it to continue its work without cutbacks of this nature.

Sincerely