Aosdána has spoken
Aosdána is Ireland’s national academy for creative artists.
It was established by the Arts Council and Antony Cronin to honour those whose work has made an exceptional contribution to the arts in Ireland.
Members include poets, writers, musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, composers and choreographers — some of the country’s most respected cultural voices.
What is Aosdána?
The Motion They Passed
In April 2024, members of Aosdána passed a motion calling on the Artane Band to change its name and uniform — out of solidarity with survivors of institutional abuse and in recognition of the band’s origins within the Artane Industrial School.
“That Aosdána supports the call for the Artane Band to change its name and uniform, in recognition of the pain it causes to survivors of abuse and the legacy it continues to carry.”
Gerard Mannix Flynn has been a member of Aosdána since 2004. In April 2024 his emergency motion to the members of Aosdana was debated at their annual meeting. The motion below was unanimously passed by his fellow artists.
Why this motion matters
Ireland’s artists were among the first to understand that symbols carry meaning, and that continuing to perform under the name The Artane Band is not neutral — it’s a public act of forgetting.
Aosdána’s stand shows that this is not about politics or controversy.
It’s about truth, dignity, and cultural responsibility.
If the national academy for the arts can see this clearly, why can’t public institutions?
