Charles Haughey & The Arts - a re-assessment. An illustrated talk by Professor Kevin Rafter

Prof. Kevin Rafter is author of Taoisigh and the Arts which was published in 2022. After publication the book was described as ‘consistently entertaining and informative’ in the Dublin Review of Books and as ‘a gripping history of the State’s treatment of artists and writers’ in the Irish Independent. A review in Books Ireland said it ‘should be in the in-tray of all Irish politicians.’

Taoisigh and the Arts looks afresh at major political figures in post-1922 Ireland through the work of writers and visual artists. It examines the legacy of national leaders and considers the priority these politicians placed on the arts during their time in office.

One figure looms large – Charles J. Haughey.