The Activism of FairPlé: A Rolling Report (2021-)
Introduction to Rolling Report
This rolling report provides a synopsis of FairPlé’s activities and initiatives across the island of Ireland from January 2021, and will be updated on a rolling basis. It has been compiled and edited by Joanne Cusack, Kate Barry, and Niamh Ní Charra. As FairPlé’s main objectives have been fulfilled, we are currently onto our next phase of policy work which will be detailed in this report.
Aims & Objectives
FairPlé aims to achieve gender balance in the production, performance, promotion, and development of Irish traditional and folk music. We advocate for equal opportunity and balanced representation for all.
For the next phase of policy work, our aims are as follows:
Continued political lobbying in order to create real lasting change within the music scene and across the arts in general.
Advocate for increased inclusivity for all, especially marginalised groups.
Continuing a discussion in relation to gender-balance and fair practice at work in all capacities.
We seek to do this through:
Engaging with key political stakeholders, creating a cross party initiative and propose the establishment of an independent body with the power to adjudicate and investigate complaints about discrimination, harassment and abuse within the arts sector.
Lobbying for counselling and support services for survivors of sexual harassment and/or other traumatic events.
Providing information and signposting for survivors of sexual harassment/ sexism/ gender objectification/ oppression and/or traumatic events.
Supporting and advocating for more research and funding.
Creating a campaign for Pride month to promote inclusivity within the scene.
Organising a one-day event with representatives from key organizations and stakeholders within the tradition to discuss and create solutions to tackle issues of gender imbalance, sexual harassment and create an inclusive scene for all.
Organising a Rising Tides no3 to celebrate achievements to date and advocate for an inclusive scene for all.
Political Lobbying
09/03/2021 - Linda Coogan Byrne of WhyNotHer?, and Karan Casey of FairPlé meet with members of the Labour Party. Topics discussed include issues pertaining to gender equality and the arts, and proactive ways in which to tackle sexual harassment within the arts
31/03/2021- Activists of FairPlé, Karan Casey, Pauline Scanlon, Niamh Ní Charra, Kate Barry, and Joanne Cusack meet with Senator Fintan Warfield and members of Sinn Féin Ireland. Topics discussed include issues pertaining to gender equality and the arts, and proactive ways in which to tackle sexual harassment within the arts.
Caption: Activists of FairPlé meet with Senator Fintan Warfield and members of Sinn Féin Ireland.
29/04/2021 - Activists of FairPlé, Karan Casey, Pauline Scanlon, Niamh Ní Charra, Joanne Cusack, and Kate Barry alongside Anna Ní Nualláin (#MiseFosta/ FairPlé) and Linda Coogan Byrne of WhyNotHer? meet with Lynn Boylan and Séamus Mac Floinn from Sinn Féin Ireland to discuss radio airplay, gender imbalance and sexual harassment across the arts.
06/05/2021 - Activists of FairPlé, Karan Casey, Joanne Cusack, Niamh Ní Charra, Pauline Scanlon alongside Anna Ní Nualláin and Deirbhle Sheppard (#MiseFosta/ FairPlé) meet with Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin. Issues discussed include proactive steps to tackle issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Irish traditional/ folk music scene, and issues faced by the arts in general.
02/07/2021 - Activists of FairPlé, Karan Casey, Kate Barry, Pauline Scanlon, Niamh Ní Charra, Niamh Parsons, and Anna Ní Nualláin (#MiseFosta/ FairPlé), meet with Richard Boyd Barrett from People Before Profit to discuss proactive ways in which to tackle sexual harassment and inequality within the arts.
18/06/2021 - Activists of FairPlé, Joanne Cusack, Ríoghnach Connolly, Kate Barry, Karan Casey, Pauline Scanlon, Niamh Ní Charra, Niamh Dunne, Anna Ní Nualláin (#MiseFosta/ FairPlé) alongside Dr Úna Monaghan meet with Mary Nash and Kathleen Hannigan from Arts, Film and Investment Unit, and Department of Justice official, Deaglán O Briain. Issues discussed include proactive ways to tackle issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Irish traditional/ folk music scene, and the arts in general.
17/11/2021 - FairPlé and MiseFosta were invited before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, to discuss “A Safe and Respectful Working Environment for the Arts” (see below for more info.).
16/02/2022 - Safe Arts of Ireland (SAOI) alongside Irish Theatre Institute and Arts Council Ireland spoke before the Houses of the Oireachtas at a meeting titled, ‘Safe & Respectful Working Environment in Arts’ (see below for more info.).
11/03/2022 - Activists of FairPlé meet with Deputy General Secretary of SIPTU Ethel Buckley, and members of SIPTU Michelle Quinn, Frank Connolly, Andrea Holmes, and Rachel Ryan to discuss proactive measures to tackle issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Irish traditional/ folk music scene, and the arts in general.
23/03/2022 - Umbrella group "Safe Arts of Ireland", of which FairPlé is a member, meet with Minister Catherine Martin to discuss upcoming announcements and implementation of resources for the dignity and safety of all arts workers.
FairPlé and MiseFosta invited before Oireachtas Joint Committee
On 17th November 2021, FairPlé and MiseFosta were invited before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, to discuss “A Safe and Respectful Working Environment for the Arts”. Representatives on the day included co-founders of FairPlé Karan Casey, Joanne Cusack, and Niamh Ní Charra, alongside Anna Ní Nualláin and Andrew Jackson of MiseFosta.
Opening Statement:
To view our “opening statement”, click here. (given by FairPlé co-founder Karan Casey).
FairPlé’s recommendations for a “Safe and Respectful Working Environment”– Briefing Document:
In advance of the meeting, FairPlé also submitted a briefing document to the Oireachtas Joint Committee, which outlines in detail all of FairPlé’s recommendations for a “safe and respectful working environment”, including:
the establishment of a statutory independent body with investigative powers which can receive and deal with disclosures;
the placement of conditions on all public arts funding for individuals, organisations, venues and festivals;
a reform or review of existing equality legislation for freelance arts workers;
a drastic increase of funding overall to ensure solutions and reform are long-term and sustainable.
This briefing document was created by FairPlé co-founder Kate Barry. To view our “briefing document”, click here.
Transcript of Proceedings:
To view the official government transcript of meeting proceedings, click here.
Caption: Anna Ní Nualláin, Niamh Ní Charra, Karan Casey, Joanne Cusack outside Dáil Éireann (17/11/2021). Second Image: FairPlé social media post (15/11/21).
Safe Arts of Ireland invited before Oireachtas Joint Committee
Safe Arts of Ireland (SAOI) is an umbrella group of activists representing artists and arts workers across multiple sectors of the Irish arts including poetry, fiction, publishing, comedy, theatre, music and others. Member organisations include Wake Up Irish Poetry, FairPlé, Comedy Safety Standards, Trans Writers Union, Reawaken The Feminists, and members of the Mise Fosta campaign.
On Wednesday 16th February at 1.30pm, Safe Arts of Ireland (SAOI) alongside Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) and Arts Council Ireland spoke before the Houses of the Oireachtas at a meeting titled, ‘Safe & Respectful Working Environment in Arts’.
The recommendations put forward at the meeting mirrored those presented by FairPlé at the Oireachtas Joint Committee in November 2021 (see above).
Research/ Talks
28/05/2021 - FairPlé activist Jessica Cawley discusses Tes Slominki’s Trad Nation (2020), FairPlé, and how to make Irish traditional music more inclusive at the SMI/ICTM plenary conference.
18/06/2021 - Dr. Tes Slominski discusses her new book "Trad Nation: Gender, Sexuality, and Race in Irish Traditional Music", followed by a panel discussion with LGBTQ musicians & dancers from across the US Irish traditional community.
19/06/2021 - Anna Ní Nualláin, #MiseFosta and FairPlé activist speaks at “CANCEL CULTURE - Addressing the Elephant in the Room” panel discussion as part of the “Staying Safe in Sound Series” organised by Safe In Sound NI.
26/06/2021 - Kate Barry, FairPlé cofounder, alongside activists from sister organisations KeyChange and Safe in Sound NI, speaks at “Staying Safe in Sound Series”. They discuss how to make our music sector safer, more productive and enjoyable for everyone working in it.
26/01/2022 - FairPlé co-founder Niamh Ní Charra speaks at “The Futures of Irish Music”, Temple Bar Trad Fest seminar on how Irish music can centre equality, diversity and inclusion moving forward as both an artform and as an industry.
01/02/2022 - Talk by FairPlé co-founder Niamh Ní Charra, “100 years of Women in Irish Traditional Music”, as part of Dublin City Council’s Brigit2022 Festival.
The FairPlé Challenge
FairPlé is making a direct call out to all promoters, festival organisers and event programmers to make substantive gender balance a priority. There are plenty of amazing women, non-binary and gender-fluid artistes out there, but we are not getting to see or hear all of them. Details of many musicians can be found in our directory.
We are calling on festival funders and sponsors to take a proactive approach to the gender balance of the events you are supporting. At a minimum, all public funding should be conditional upon monitoring and reporting on gender balance of all aspects of the funded events.
There is no limit on the space in our tradition: there is room for everyone. It’s time to think differently: be creative. After everything that has happened over the last two years, why are we going back to old patterns and old rules?
The challenge is on: We will be collating data on as many of the festivals within the traditional and folk music scene on the island of Ireland as possible. We will start publishing data for individual festivals from the end of this month. We hope that by the end of the year, we have good news.
To view the full press release statement on 2022 festival line-ups || International Women’s Day 22 (08/03/2022), click here.
Survey Distribution
We support new research in the field and regularly distribute surveys via our social media platforms and/or contacts. Research surveys distributed include:
Speak Up ACTiON Survey - Irish Theatre Institute
Safety and Inclusivity of Music Venues and Arts Spaces - Molly Sterling
Gendered Experiences of the Irish Music Industry - IMI Gender Research
The Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Career of Music Artists - Isabel Thomas
"Speak Up ACTiON" Survey and "Speak Up: A Call For Change Report" - Irish Theatre Institute
FairPlé advocates consulted on the ‘Speak Up ACTiON’ survey with the Irish Theatre Institute. The survey is a cross arts sector initiative recognising that issues exist across a number of artforms. The ‘Speak Up ACTiON’ survey will inform policy and provide supports and training to create a safe and dignified workplace for all engaged in the Arts in Ireland. It will provide an overview of incidents, frequency, type and context of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and other experiences of artists and arts workers across all publicly funded artforms. In parallel with the survey, a suite of training tools is being developed for arts organisations to utilise, in order to build awareness of such issues and how to respond effectively to them. The results of this survey were launched on 21st October 2021, titled: Speak Up: A Call For Change Report”, and can be viewed here. Activists of FairPlé attended this launch and released a statement in response to the report (which can be viewed below).
Pride Campaign
FairPlé advocates for equal opportunity and balanced representation for all. We believe in a safe and inclusive music scene for all practitioners, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, socioeconomic background. Music by all, for all. In June 2021, as part of Pride Month, FairPlé launched a pride campaign in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. This included promoting LGBTQIA+ events and encouraging traditional music stakeholders/ practitioners to share their support via social media.
Outreach Activities
We continually reach out to and link up with sister organisations and umbrella groups at both international and national level. These include:
Action against Abuse
Reawaken the Feminists
Support and Training
Update to FairPlé’s “How to Deal with Sexual Harassment” Guidelines
First compiled by FairPlé’s Deirdre Mulligan, Kate Barry, and Joanne Cusack and published in July 2020 in collaboration with Rape Crisis Network Ireland, FairPlé’s “How to Deal with Sexual Harassment” guidelines provide signposting and information for survivors of sexual harassment. These guidelines were updated in July 2021 and in February 2022, with further resources, supports, and information on how to deal with sexual harassment. You can view these guidelines here.
Publication of FairPlé’s Bystander Tips and Advice
On Wednesday 16th March 2022, FairPlé published bystander guidelines. This resource provides information on:
what to do if you witness harassment;
offering support in the aftermath of sexual harassment/ sexual assault;
selfcare/ resources for supporters of victims.
FairPlé would like to thank the Rape Crisis Centre for their support in developing this resource.
Disclosure Training
On Friday 24th September 2021, members of FairPlé attended a one-day virtual training programme hosted by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on awareness and disclosure of sexual assault/ violence. This programme provided members with important information on how to support oneself when dealing with disclosures of sexual assault/violence and also how to support survivors that come forward. FairPlé would like to thank the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre for their support and time in facilitating this workshop.
We continue to advocate and promote equality throughout the field. Please follow our social media accounts to keep up-to-date on FairPlé activities, sister organisations, and new research/ surveys:
