An Investigation into Irish State patronage of the visual arts.

The focus of this research is in ascertaining how and why the Irish state patronises the visual arts. The framework that the state puts in place for the support of the arts influences the creation of art. The initial standpoint from which to evaluate the system is founded on the belief that art is of social good. The second source of belief is in the necessity for an autonomous setting in which it can be created. These two beliefs underpin state patronage of the arts in contemporary society. Therefore they have to be examined carefully in order to see if they hold up. This requires an investigation into the formation of value. This is undertaken by looking into the social development of western society and its influence on the placement of arts value. Establishing how arts value to society is defined provides a means by which to investigate the manner in which the state patronises the visual arts. Two case studies provide the evidence in how the state supports the arts and why it chooses to do so. The Irish Museum of Modem Art is used as an example of the state’s role in the maintenance of the canon of art. The second case study looks at the work being done by Breaking Ground. Breaking Ground is an extensive art project as an element of the regeneration process happening in Ballymun funded by the state. It provides and insight into how the state utilises art in the unification of a social group.

What value can be attached to a concept of mystery and has it a place in contemporary Western culture?

The idea for this thesis arose from a chain of reactions first set in motion by a particular experience. In keeping with the contemporary need to deconstruct every phenomenon it seemed important to analyse this experience in the hope of a satisfactory explanation. The experience referred to is the aesthetic experience provoked by works of art. The plan for the thesis involved trying to establish whether the aesthetic experience is unique and individual, or whether it is one that is experienced universally. Each question that arises in the course of this exploration promotes a dialectical reaction. I rely on the history of aesthetics as a philosophical discipline to supply the answers. This study concentrates on the efforts by philosophers and critical theorists to understand the tensions between the empirical and the emotional, the individual and the universal responses to the sociological, political and material conditions that prevail and are expressed through the medium of art. What I found is that the history of aesthetics is full of contradictory evidence and cannot provide a dogmatic solution to the questions posed. In fact what is indicated is that the mystery that attaches to the aesthetic experience is one that can also apply to the spiritual or transcendent experience. The aim of this thesis is to support the contribution of visual art in the spiritual well being of human development and supports the uniqueness of the evaluation and aesthetic judgement by the individual of a work of art. I suggest that mystery will continue to be of value in the holistic development of human beings and this mystery can be expressed through visual art. Furthermore, this thesis might suggest that what could be looked at is whether a work of art may be redemptive in its affect and offset the current decline in affective religious practice.

The vulnerability to pollution and hydrochemical variation of eleven springs (catchments) in the karst lowlands of the west of Ireland

The vulnerability to pollution and hydrochemical variation of groundwater in the mid-west karstic lowlands of Ireland were investigated from October 1992 to September 1993, as part of an EU STRIDE project at Sligo Regional Technical College. Eleven springs were studied in the three local authority areas of Co. Galway, Co. Mayo, and Co. Roscommon. Nine of the springs drain locally or regionally important karstic aquifers and two drain locally important sand and gravel aquifers. The maximum average daily discharge of any of the springs was 16,000 m3/day. Determination of the vulnerability of groundwater to pollution relies heavily on an examination of subsoil deposits in an area since they can act as a protecting or filtering layer over groundwater. Within aquifers/spring catchments, chemical reactions such as adsorption, solution-precipitation or acid-base reactions occur and modify the hydrochemistry of groundwater (Lloyd and Heathcote, 1985). The hydrochemical processes) that predominate depend cm the mineralogy of the aquifer, the hydrogeological environment, the overlying subsoils, and the history of groundwater movement. The aim of this MSc research thesis was to investigate the hydrochemical variation of spring outflow and to assess the relationship between these variations and the intrinsic vulnerability of the springs and their catchments. If such a relationship can be quantified, then it is hoped that the hydrochemical variation of a spring may indicate the vulnerability of a spring catchment without the need for determining it by field mapping. Such a method would be invaluable to any of the three local authorities since they would be able to prioritise sources that are most at risk from pollution, using simple techniques of chemical sampling, and statistical analysis. For each spring a detailed geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical study was carried out. Individual catchment areas were determined with a water balance/budget and groundwater tracing. The subsoils geology for each spring catchment were mapped at the 1:10,560 scale and digitised to the 1:25,000 scale with AutoCad™ and Arclnfo™. The vulnerability of each spring was determined using the Geological Survey's vulnerability guidelines. Field measurements and laboratory based chemistry analyses of the springs were undertaken by personnel from both the EPA Regional Laboratory in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, and the Environment Section of Roscommon Co. Council. Electrical conductivity and temperature (°C) were sampled fortnightly, in the field, using a WTW microprocessor conductivity meter. A percentage (%) vulnerability was applied to each spring in order to indicate the areal extent of the four main classes of vulnerability (Extreme, High, Moderate, and Low) which occurred within the confines of each spring catchment. Hydrochemical variation for the springs were presented as the coefficient of variation of electrical conductivity. The results of this study show that a clear relationship exists between the degree of vulnerability of each catchment area as defined by the subsoil cover and the coefficient of variation of EC, with the coefficient of variation increasing as the vulnerability increases. The coefficient of variation of electrical conductivity is considered to be a parameter that gives a good general reflection of the degree of vulnerability occurring in a spring catchment in Ireland's karstic lowlands.

An assessment of biological and population parameters of the Common whelk, Buccinum undatum (L.) in the region of the North West Irish whelk fishery

The Common whelk, Buccinum undatum (L.) is a conspicuous benthic scavenger in Irish waters, and is a valuable fisheries resource in South East Ireland. B. undatum is fished in many parts of its range, and previous studies have shown that certain life history parameters, which vary with location, make this species vulnerable to overexploitation. This makes research into each exploited stock essential to ensure sustainable fisheries management of the species. In 2003, interest in B. undatum as a complementary species in the inshore fishery east of the Inishowen Peninsula, North West Ireland, initiated investigation into fisheries related biological and population aspects of the species in this region. The current study presents estimates of spatial variation and density of the stock, size at age and growth rates, size and age at onset of sexual maturity, and timing of reproductive events in the region of the North West Irish whelk fishery for the period of June 2003 to May 2004. Analysis of variance of the total shell length of whelk landings to the fishery was conducted over spatial scales of fishing pot, fishing string and landings to vessels. Landings varied significantly in shell length at the spatial scale at which whelks are attracted to baited pots, but did not vary significantly over larger spatial scales. Depletion estimates of stock density from fisheries derived Catch per Unit Effort data and a mark re-capture experiment estimate 0.134 - 0.227 whelks per m2. Two independent methods of age determination found similar growth logistics functions for B. undatum.Modal analysis of length frequency distribution of landings to the fishery estimated symptotic length, Leo = 151.64 mm and Brody growth coefficient, K = 0.04. Analysis of the striae in individual opercula, where each stria was found to represent annual growth, estimated Loo = 137.73 mm and K = 0.12. Common whelks in the region of the North West Irish whelk fishery grow slowly and are long-lived, with 19 opercula striae recorded in one individual. Onset of sexual maturity is late, and no sex-specific differences in size or age at maturity were determined in the present study. Males were found to achieve sexual maturity at 83.30 ± 10.77 mm, and 8.9 - 11.1 years of age, and females at 82.62 ± 10.68 mm and 8.8 to 11.1 years of age. Systematic observations of reproductive events, including histological changes to the female ovary and male testis, and changes in the size and mass of body components, suggest that breeding occurred between the autumn and winter months of October and December 2003. Biological aspects of B. undatum in the study region are compared with previous studies from other regions, and discussed in relation to sustainable management of the fishery.