The arts need help in hard times

The arts are a fundamental part of our culture. However, the arts and music have never been self-sufficient, they need patronage to survive.

While I totally understand economies are under pressure and finances can be tight, times of economic crisis are the very times that artists need to be supported.

The arts can be seen by some, particularly around budget season, as a misallocation and unnecessary division of resources. I ask those people to imagine a world without art, without music, without books.

Do we really want to be the generation that misses out on contributing to Irish culture in this way?

Gavin Brennan Clontarf, Dublin 3