Joy Fitzgerald, Dublin, writes:
Dermot McLaughlin declares many interests at the end of his article on the Arts Council and traditional music (‘In Safe Hands?’, July-Aug 2007), but he does not declare the one that is most ironic. Perhaps your readers need to be reminded that Mr McLaughlin spent over 15 years working at the Arts Council (1986-2003) initially as Traditional Music and Music Officer, later as Artform Director. As such he was one of the principal architects of Arts Council policy for a long period leading up to the publication of the damning report in 2004. He now suggests that the Arts Council is pursuing ‘dilatory and careless behaviour’. Is this new, or was this always the case?