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Irish Times

Instruments painted black to highlight battle by Artane Band abuse survivors to change its name and uniform

An installation of musical instruments painted black is on show in Dublin city centre as part of renewed efforts by survivors of abuse to have the Artane Band change its name and uniform. A number of the instruments in the window display at 20/21 South William Street were provided by former members of what was then the Artane Boys Band, part of St Joseph's Industrial School, north Dublin, until the latter's closure in 1969. Campaigners led by Independent city councillor Mannix Flynn have been calling for years for the band to change its name and uniform, which remains the same as it was when it was part of the industrial school. The band, now known as the Artane Band with the inclusion of female members after the school's closure, continues to play regularly at GAA matches in Croke Park, including at All-Ireland finals. READ MORE Cllr Flynn said this was 'deeply traumatising', 'distressing' and 'triggering' for victims of historical physical and sexual abuse at the school. The politician, playwright and artist, who suffered abuse in industrial schools in the 1960s including Artane, said a change in the band's name and uniform should have happened years ago and it was 'shocking' that it continued. He created the installation, which includes a marching band drum, trumpets, trombones, French horn and other instruments as well as a copy of the A Tour of Ireland with the Artane Boys Band vinyl record. It also displays footballs and hurleys painted black set against a backdrop of GAA banners and flags. A website – Nobody Could Hear The Music – accompanies the installation. Four years ago, the Lord Mayor of Dublin withdrew as patron of the Artane School of Music and Artane Band after councillors voted in favour of a motion brought by Cllr Flynn to end the authority's patronage. In 2023, Dublin City Council voted unanimously in favour of changing the band's name and uniform because of its links with the former industrial school. Aosdána , Ireland's national academy for creative artists, has also supported the campaign. In April last year, its members passed a motion calling for the change of name and uniform 'in recognition of the pain it causes to survivors of abuse and the legacy it continues to carry'. Cllr Flynn has written to the GAA, RTÉ and sponsors of the band urging them to dissociate from it until the name and uniform are changed. In a letter to RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst , Cllr Flynn said 'the images of the Artane Band in its uniform and with its insignia are very traumatising to those who were locked up in residential institutions, particularly those who were in the Artane Industrial School where the band was formed and indeed those who were in the band itself'. He said that 'many people who watch the big GAA games have no idea of the origins of the Artane Band or the horrors inflicted on the children in the Artane industrial school'. Cllr Flynn stressed they were not asking to close down the band. 'We are simply calling for the name and uniform to be changed, so we don't have to keep this terrible wound open,' he said. In a letter to GAA president Jarlath Burns , Cllr Flynn called on the association 'to suspend the band in its present form from performing in any of its grounds, including Croke Park'. When contacted about the issue, an RTÉ spokesperson said: 'This is a matter for the GAA. RTÉ has no further comment.' The GAA and the Artane School of Music, which operates the band, did not respond to requests for comment.