Agenda item

            The Committee considered a request from New Irish Arts to partner with the Council and bring the final performance of “Greater Love” to the City hall to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One.

            The Committee was advised that New Irish Arts was a Christian organisation that produced high-quality events in concert halls, churches and community venues.  Its Christmas choir and orchestra concerts had sold out at the Waterfront for several years. It produced regular broadcasts for the  BBC and RTE, as well as albums that were sold around the world.  New Irish Arts had approximately 500 local musicians and singers and was about to enter its 25th year. 

            During the last 4 years, New Irish Arts had been running an event called “Greater Love” - a production of music, stories and images from World War One. The script was designed to recognise the human face of those affected by the war, telling the stories of individuals from across Ireland who had made a positive difference, bringing hope and showing simple acts of love and friendship in the middle of the gruesome conflict.  The music was performed by a small choir and orchestra, with soloists, and contained wartime favourites as well as more contemplative performed music. 

            The inaugural event had taken place in Parliament Buildings in May, 2014 to an invited audience.  The following day New Irish Arts had received 16 expressions of interest for it to be performed in other community venues.  Since then the production had been presented 13 times across Northern Ireland.

            New Irish Arts was an apolitical organisation.  Great care had been taken when scripting “Greater Love” to ensure that the contribution to the war made by both sides of the community was properly recognised.  There were positive stories about reconciliation and the suspension of traditional unionist/nationalist divisions.   

            As New Irish Arts approached the end of 4 years of touring the event, it was very keen to explore the possibility of working in partnership with the Council to bring the final performance of “Greater Love” to the City Hall, in the run up to the anniversary of the Armistice.  It seemed particularly appropriate to consider the request given that the centenary of the ending of World War One would take place in November, 2018 and the event would provide an opportunity to reflect on the Great War in a subtle way and very much from a humanitarian perspective.  The request for support for such an event would be in keeping with the events planned for the commemoration of the centenary of the end of World War One through the Decade Of Centenaries Programme and would adhere to the principles which had been agreed by the Council.

            It was envisaged that the cost of producing the event in the Great Hall would be in the region of £4,000.  That finance would cover the logistics required to deliver the production in terms of additional staging, lighting and sound and to allow for some hospitality post performance to allow guests to mingle and talk about the issues raised in the event in an informal way. 

            The Committee approved the request from New Irish Arts to bring the final performance of “Greater Love” to the City Hall to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One and to cover the associated costs as outlined.