Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2021
246. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will address a matter regarding funding for a group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22679/21]
View answerThe Creative Ireland Programme is a culture-based programme led by my department to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. Its core proposition is that participation in arts, cultural and heritage-based activities drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement.
Under the Creative Communities initiative in the Creative Ireland Programme, my department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provide funding to each of the 31 local authorities to enable them to implement their individual Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022. These Strategies were developed in 2017 following extensive local public consultation and are unique to each local authority, reflecting the breadth of cultural and creative work being undertaken in each area as well as the strategic priorities identified by the local community. Kerry County Council also established a Culture and Creativity Team led by a Creative Ireland Coordinator to oversee implementation of their Strategy. The cross-functional Culture and Creativity Teams (including Arts Officers, Heritage & Biodiversity Officers, Librarians, Archivists, Conservation Officers, Irish Language Officers, Local Enterprise Offices) is a unique model, providing local authorities with an agile and adaptable resource to address locally-relevant priorities.
Through Creative Communities, funding provided to Kerry County Council for the period 2018-2020 is set out in the table below and it has supported an extensive programme of activities, events and initiatives in Co Kerry.
|
- |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|||
|
Funding |
Events |
Funding |
Events |
Funding |
Events |
|
|
Kerry |
€145,885.00 |
40 |
€138,774.00 |
52 |
€182,201.00 |
34 |
In 2021, I have allocated €145,160 to Kerry County Council under Creative Communities to support their programming and delivery of creative initiatives as part of their implementation of their Culture and Creativity Strategy.
Within the local authority network, the public libraries have to date proven to be a significant partner in supporting the implementation of Creative Communities initiatives. For example, I note that within the Kerry Culture and Creativity Strategy there is a priority, amongst other things, to
- implement a Kerry Library Events Programme to develop outputs including author visits, displays, workshops, promotions, Irish language and culture, the Right to Read literacy programme, and story-time events, and
- explore The Scealaíocht Chiarraí/ Stories of Kerry project.
Significant resources are being made available to Kerry County Council in this regard including support for its Creative Ireland Kerry Creative Communities grant scheme through which community groups and organisations may apply for funding. Therefore, and in recognition of their leading role in the funding and delivery of creative programming as part of their implementation of their Culture and Creativity Strategy, I would urge Storied Kerry to liaise directly with the Creative Ireland Coordinator at Kerry County Council. Further details and contacts are available online at
https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/kerry/.
