It has been a good week for the Arts - Senator Cecilia Keaveney

It has been a momentous week for the Arts both at home and abroad. Tonight the new Grand Canal Theatre designed by the world renowned architect Daniel Libeskind will open in Dublin.

Over a 120,000 tickets for advance performances have been sold already which highlights what a huge appetite there is amongst the Irish people for the Arts. It is great to see that despite the huge financial demands people are under they are choosing to support the Arts.

At the opening of the theatre tonight will be the newly appointed Cultural Ambassador actor Gabriel Byrne. The idea of a cultural ambassador was first discussed at the Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh several months ago.

This week in the US Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced that the position will see Gabriel Byrne working in an unpaid capacity with the Irish Government, Culture Ireland and artistic bodies to develop a dynamic programme of artistic and cultural events showcasing Irish talent in the States.

You don't have to look too far to see the impact Irish culture has in the US with four plays running on Broadway at the moment. In the ongoing debate on the state of our economy we must not forget that the arts offers viable employment opportunities for our creative young people.

We just to have to look at Irishman Richard Baneham who won an Academy award for his animation work on the movie Avatar to see that an artistic career can be both fulfilling and financial rewarding as well.

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