How's this for a headline:
17 August 2007: (Irish) Arts Council urges Government to invest additional €20 million in the arts in 2008
Ireland is in the happy hands of a vibrant and caring Arts Council. I know, many of our own Arts Council practitioners in Western Australia are inspired by their leadership ~ which can only be a good thing for artists in Western Australia!
ArtsWA started by running poetry forums to find out from the ground level, what was happening in poetry in WA and what was needed to support and invigorate poetry in WA.
The first step was putting Poetry on the Arts Landscape and giving it a name.
Recent evidence of the support and naming of Poetry by ArtsWA:
Poetry in WA Schools and Libraries Program
Direct Poetry Publishing funds for WA poets
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The highest compliment I can pay our hard-working Arts Council carers in Western Australia is to thank them for giving Poetry in WA a viable and exciting future. A future I am proud to be part of.
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When I lived in Ireland for 14 months recently, I ate poetry and storytelling for breakfast, lunch and dinner ~ a fascinating world worth exploring.
If you haven't discovered this comprehensive website yet - here it is!
It's just undergone a revamp but food for thought, particularly if you admire the Irish language poets. I know ECU started with something similar to the Poets' Chair, but clearly defined this approach is to be admired.
"THE POETS' CHAIR
The Poets' Chair is a film archive of contemporary Irish poets writing in both English and Irish. The archive is an historical record of living Irish poets for future generations as well as an invaluable educational resource for secondary level students studying for the Leaving Certificate examinations, bringing poets and their work to life through film.
Poetry Ireland aims to continue to add to the list of poets featured in The Poets' Chair to make it a constant and living resource. "
I recommend subscription: Poetry Ireland Review to appease those who require something tangible as I do but also, for hints at the breadth of poetry coverage available, recommend you read this blog entry too: 
