Sinn Fein Assembly Member, Carál ni Chuilín is the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the power-sharing Executive at Stormont:
She also sits on the board of The Bobby Sands Trust (BST):
The Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure, which she heads, funds the Arts Council of Northern Ireland;
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland gave a grant to The O’Brien Press to help publish the graphic novel ‘Bobby Sands – Freedom Fighter’;
When asked by thebrokenelbow,com whether the Bobby Sands Trust had been paid a fee by O’Brien Press, the Publisher, Michael O’Brien said it had not;
But when I directed a supplementary question to the publisher asking if the BST would receive a share of the royalties from the book in the future, The O’Brien Press declined to answer;
I also asked what dealings, if any, The O’Brien Press had with the BST. Again no answer;
That was a week ago;
The Arts Council’s records show that a grant of £3,994.00 was paid to O’Brien Press in its 2013/2014 funding period;
Ms ni Chuilín became Minister of Culture, Arts & Leisure in May 2011;
The funding of the Bobby Sands graphic novel happened during her watch;
The O’Brien Press needs to clarify this matter;
Minister ni Chuilín needs to clarify her role in this affair.
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Carál Ni Chuilín. member of the BST and the Stormont minister who funds the Arts Council
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The Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure, which she heads, funds the Arts Council of Northern Ireland;
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland gave a grant to The O’Brien Press to help publish the graphic novel ‘Bobby Sands – Freedom Fighter’;
When asked by thebrokenelbow,com whether the Bobby Sands Trust had been paid a fee by O’Brien Press, the Publisher, Michael O’Brien said it had not;
But when I directed a supplementary question to the publisher asking if the BST would receive a share of the royalties from the book in the future, The O’Brien Press declined to answer;
I also asked what dealings, if any, The O’Brien Press had with the BST. Again no answer;
That was a week ago;
The Arts Council’s records show that a grant of £3,994.00 was paid to O’Brien Press in its 2013/2014 funding period;
Ms ni Chuilín became Minister of Culture, Arts & Leisure in May 2011;
The funding of the Bobby Sands graphic novel happened during her watch;
The O’Brien Press needs to clarify this matter;
Minister ni Chuilín needs to clarify her role in this affair.
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Bobby Sands’ son, Robert Gerard at his father’s funeral
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The CAL committee met at Stormont. The Arts Council were in and were asked about the grant to O'Brien Press for the publication of a graphic novel about Bobby Sands. They stated that any profit would result in a clawback of money and if any royalties or other monies could be paid to the Bobby Sands Trust of which the minister is a director.
ReplyDeleteThe question had been asked by some bloggers and FB posters to the chairman and so it has now been asked directly to the Arts Council.