Amaro (28) is an ex-circus student from a community circus (Circolo Social), back in Brazil, where he left 7 years ago to come to Ireland to further his horizons. Following studies in Marketing Management at Ballsbridge College of Further Education and working as a Creative Assistant during an Erasmus+ placement, in Amsterdam he is working on the setting up of PR department of an association for Brazilian employees in Ireland (BRIA). Interestingly, he used to be a TV and advertising actor, as well as a studio model, which had resulted on works for Trident and Windows 7 campaigns when younger.
This thesis explores the inclusion of circus within the Irish Arts Act of 2003. It examines the historical development of circus in Ireland, the evolution of national arts policy, and the ongoing challenges faced by the industry. It intends to bring insight to policy makers and every researcher seeking to understand changes on the concept of Arts over Arts Act 1951, 1973, till the current one. This thesis is based on interviews carried out with the main directors of the traditional/indigenous circus Tom Duffy and the Galway Community Circus Project, as well as a literature review on the topic of cultural policy and circus history, and historically important reports (qualitative and quantitative) about animal husbandry, the economy and Arts Council funding. The thesis finds that though the industry was poorly regulated in terms of safety and animal keeping, this has improved. Although the circus industry has achieved considerable results in the last two and a half decades, there is still a lot to be done in terms of investment and inclusion in the circus sector. Furthermore, specific legislation needs to be developed for the circus sector to cover insurance.