Samhlaíocht agus An Náisiún / Imagination and the Nation
'Samhlaíocht agus An Náisiún – Imagination and The Nation' is an initiative to highlight the powerful and transformative role of art and creativity in the evolution of Ireland as a republic and an idea.
The creative arts have often played an important role in bringing together the many strands of Ireland’s past, present and future, teasing through the tangle of history, taking up hidden threads in our social fabric and weaving new possibilities for the future.
Art allows us to reflect on different lived experiences, past and present, bearing witness, bringing healing and calling to action. It is intrinsicly inter-generational – allowing for connections and conversations to be forged and renewed in different times and changing circumstance.
The Imagination and the Nation initiative is grounded in the themes President Higgins has put forward as part of his vision for Ireland, including Equal Participation and Sustainable Communities. It will highlight the necessity of art and creativity in contemporary Irish life and its power to engage, challenge, transform and empower. By celebratinng and encouraging new moments of collective creativity and vision-making – imagining and achieving a more equal republic and a better shared future – it will also support wide public engagement in the presidential theme of "Sharing History, Shaping The Future" which promotes an inclusive approach to all our national commemorations and encourages new acts of vision-making for the century ahead.
