Taoiseach Brian Cowen announces the appointment of Gabriel Byrne as Cultural Ambassador

The  Taoiseach  Brian Cowen announced that the Government has appointed Gabriel Byrne as Cultural Ambassador for Ireland. The announcement was made as part of the Taoiseach's trade mission to Washington for St Patrick's Day.

The Taoiseach commented that “Gabriel Byrne is an internationally renowned,
award-winning  actor  and  is  already well established as one of Ireland’s
great  ambassadors  through  his  work  in film and theatre, as well as his
endeavors behind the scenes in supporting and promoting Irish artists".

The  appointment  recognises  the worldwide importance of Ireland's culture
and its profound connection to our economy, one of the major conclusions of
the Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh.  The Cultural Ambassador will
work closely with the Irish Government, Culture Ireland and artistic bodies
to  develop  an  artistic  vision  that  is inclusive of the Irish diaspora
throughout the world.

The  Taoiseach  also  announced  that  Culture  Ireland  will  organise  an
ambitious season of Irish arts in the United States in 2011 with the aim of
celebrating  the  Irish  creative imagination, showcasing world-class Irish
artists  and companies, and reinvesting in our unique cultural relationship
with America.

The  ambitious  programme will include clusters of events in a range of key
cities including New York, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San
Francisco,  Philadelphia  and Pittsburgh, among others.  The programme will
run  through  2011, with major festivals, venues and cultural organisations
as presenting partners.

Gabriel  Byrne  has  played  a  key role in developing the concept for this
season,  and as Cultural Ambassador he will be advising Culture Ireland and
Ireland’s  Embassy and Consulates in the US in creating a dynamic programme
of  art,  ideas,  debate  and  reflection  which helps to foster a renewed,
forward-looking cultural relationship between Ireland and America.