SDLP Candidate for the Enniskillen By-election Rosemary Flanagan has welcomed the launch of the Enniskillen Arts Festival website, and said the Festival (26th September to October 5th) promised to be a great showcase for local talent.

"The festival will tap into that vast pool of local talent across the arts sector, and it will also show Enniskillen as a vibrant and exciting place to live and to visit. I hope the website will help raise awareness of this unique event and will attract interest from far and wide."

Mrs Flanagan said the arts sector here was 'exceptionally under funded' across the north of Ireland compared to England, Scotland and Wales and indeed the Republic of Ireland.

"Local organisations and individuals within the arts sector play an important role in community life across Fermanagh. For instance, those who teach art classes to the elderly, who use art to provide a form of therapy, and those who encourage our children and young people to put their talents to good use through drama or music, all of these organisation give something positive to the local community and their efforts must be commended.

"It is very frustrating for all those working in the arts sector, either paid or voluntary, that the Northern Ireland Assembly is not investing as much in the arts as what it should be. The many years of underinvestment in this sector must be addressed, and the sector needs every support from local representatives to ensure their good work and efforts can continue to benefit a wide range of people."