Philanthropy

I heard on the radio this morning that the Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG has donated £25 million to the British Museum, thought to be the largest single donation to the Arts since the great philanthropist, Sir Paul Getty KBE.

Northern Ireland needs a few more philanthropists, albeit on a smaller scale. I'm aware that national institutions like the British Museum are free and open to everyone; nevertheless, on a smaller scale, Castleward Opera was dependent on the NI Arts Council for its survival and anything similar would require subsidization of several hundred thousand pounds, surely chicken-feed to a potential Ulster philanthropist on the Sunday Times Rich List?

Were their properties large enough - and many certainly would be - they could be used as the venue for a country house season.