Forty years on from the publication by the Arts Council of, ‘The Place of the Arts in Irish Education’, known also as ‘the Benson Report’, the Arts Council was invited to mark the anniversary of this seminal report with a lecture delivered by Ciarán Benson at Dublin City University, organised by Encountering the Arts Ireland. The event, which took place in February 2019, provided an opportunity to celebrate the advancements made over the past four decades, while also reminding us of all that remains to be achieved. 

The Arts Council has partnered with Encountering the Arts Ireland to publish Ciarán Benson’s lecture, along with the reflections and responses that were shared as part of the anniversary event. This publication includes valuable insights as we continue to plan and provide for children and young people. We hope our colleagues and partners, researchers, and students will find this to be a useful resource, and a thought-provoking read.

The publication is available here.