Ireland’s cultural policy and the protection and promotion of the cultural rights of migrants

Abstract

The protection and promotion of cultural rights within Irish law and policy has been historically neglected and has only recently been recognised as a policy objective in its own right with the publication of “Culture 2025. Éire Ildánach”, Ireland’s first dedicated cultural policy framework. This article seeks to critically review this policy specifically as relates to the protection and the promotion of the cultural rights of migrants in Ireland. Whilst recognising that the Policy Framework represents a more holistic approach to the protection of cultural rights in general, this article will argue that it fails to provide any substantive protection to the cultural rights of migrants in Ireland. The protection of cultural rights appears to be more strongly iterated in Ireland’s migrant integration policy, as implemented through Government department initiatives and localised strategies, however overall, Irish policy is lacking in terms of satisfactory engagement with the cultural rights of migrants.