Paul Harman attended the TYA Ireland Gathering in Dublin and the World Alliance for Arts Education Summit in Newcastle Dublin and Newcastle have changed radically in the last ten years or so. The banks of the Liffey and the Tyne are now lined with bright shiny buildings where once there were deserted docklands. But there are differences. Dublin’s growth, driven by financial services and high tech firms like Google, has now stalled. Public services are threatened. Newcastle invested £250 million in arts buildings and has re-created itself as a major tourist destination.
