RTÉ RTÉ Radio 1

On tonight's programme, the Ministers for Education and Arts join forces on the new arts in education charter, which sets out a series of aspirations and commitments for the promotion of arts within the education system. Our panel: Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Rúairí Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills; Orlaith McBride, director of the Arts Council; John Coolahan, chair of the implementation group for the charter and Professor Emeritus at NUI Maynooth; Ciarán Benson, author of the influential 1979 Arts Council report, The Place of the Arts in Irish Education, and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCD. We hear also from Ciara Halpin, artist; Siobhán Parkinson, children's writer; Jane O'Hanlon, Poetry Ireland;  Pat Kinsella, retired principal of Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Cork; Dermot Carney, arts officer with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals; Ger Ó Sé, primary school principal, of the Association for Creativity and Arts in Education; Helen O'Donoghue, IMMA; Arthur Lappin, The Ark; Lorraine Comer, National Museum. We also hear from the students of Coláiste Choilm, on their arts, theatre and music projects. The programme was recorded in Studio 8 of the Radio Centre at RTÉ with an audience including Transition Year students from St Louis High School, Rathmines and Belvedere College, Dublin.

*A longer recording of the contributions from the floor, including Marie Bourke of the National Gallery and Rosaleen Molloy of Music Generation, will be added in podcast form.

*Special thanks to: Aisling Grennan; Eileen Heron; Conor Murray; Michelle Sliney and Tim Burke of Coláiste Choilm; Clíona McDonough and Mary Newman of St Louis.

Arts Tonight listen back: 13 May 2013: Arts in Education