UPDATE 23 May 2005 -- Aileen McKeogh passed away today.
KILKENNY -- John McGuinness is a national politician who believes Kilkenny has the seeds of a multimedia culture. Nicky Gogan is a Dublin creative who believes there's a multimedia culture in The Liberties. Attracta Brennan was pulled back to Galway because she missed its creative multimedia sheen. Aileen MacKeogh surrounds herself with multimedia students in Dun Laoghaire. But can any of these places assert themselves as the centre of Irish multiumedia?
Arthouse, the self-acclaimed multimedia centre of the Arts, imploded in Temple Bar in August 2002. Its three storey shell stands empty, but with the windows open on the upper floors, heralding the start-up of higher education in the building. What could this portend?
Things have become cynically commercial in Temple Bar, meaning artistic venues have to fend for themselves in Dublin's cultural quarter. Arthouse collapsed ahead of several educational multimedia companies in Dublin. The business world demands commercial viability. In the current climate, that translates into bums on seats and demands the presence of a sponsor. In the reincarnation of Arthouse, the main sponsor may be third level education institutions. And if their baby steps are successful, it could lead to collaboratively delivered streams of multimedia education flowing into Arthouse from several third level institutions.
