Efforts have been made to adjustment the structure of Limerick City of Culture to make it appear acceptable that Pat Cox attempted to gift Patricia Ryan with a job and a generous wage packet. The interim appointment of Mike Fitzpatrick and the introduction of further representation from cultural groups and Councillors should of course be welcomed, but should never have had to be fought for.
The papers read:
“Cox said he was “determined to do everything I can and we can to hit the reset button to put together in place the necessary resources.” ” [1]
“Mr Fitzpatrick now has the opportunity to show people there is more on offer than squabbling.” [2]
“I firmly believe that, the negativity created recent events, Limerick can and will put the past week behind it, seize the fantastic opportunity to highlight all that is positive about that fine city and get on with the project.” [3]
The ‘reset button’, ‘squabbling’ and putting the ‘past week behind it’.
The need to forget and move forward is important, discussing the circumstances that allowed the controversy to exist is ‘squabbling’ and going on blindly despite the nation witnessing an obvious fault is progress.
We are all once again asked to dance like nobody is watching.
The virtue; in being more determined after clear failure is a selfish one, adopted by Patricia Ryan before her resignation and now being adopted by much of the media to the comfort of Pat Cox.
In his previous defence of Ryan’s gift, Conn Murray, Limerick City and County manager, stated:
“"I accept the criticism around the process and if, quite honestly, I had been given a different approach to this, different time lines, obviously the approach would have been different" [4]
It seems all it took was prolonged outrage and organised action by the people of Limerick to find a different approach. Ryan’s quality of being available at short notice seems, somehow, more dispensable than before, when we see that an interim Chief executive could be appointed. Perhaps they can find someone who is as available as Ryan and maybe someone who will not be as reliant on others with a capacity for the job at hand, as Ryan made clear she was on Karl Wallace to handle the job she was gifted [4].
Something which is important to acknowledge when culture is used as a promotional tool is that culture is not necessarily positive in design or in action.
Culture is more than what you can sell and more than entertainment.
Culture can be designed to be ugly and uncomfortable, and cultural practitioners should be aware that in the creation of their work- they may design something which is in effect and interpretation ugly or uncomfortable.
Their ability to create discomfort and ugliness was used to make Ryan resign.
It is vital that arts and cultural practitioners not only use their darker talents in the creation of their work, but also in defence of their work.
[4]http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/festivals/festivities-and-fireworks-as-city-of-culture-shakes-off-controversy-29876207.html
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