Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
280. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding that is currently allocated to arts and cultural pursuits on offshore islands; and the funding that has been provided for same in each of the past five years. [23831/21]
View answerMy Department is committed to supporting and developing engagement with, and in, the arts, culture and creativity by individuals and communities including our offshore islands thereby enriching lives through cultural activity. As set out in the Programme for Government, and in line with the implementation of Culture 2025 policy and the Creative Ireland Programme, I am keen to enhance the role of, and work in partnership with, local authorities in delivering arts and cultural services to all local communities.
The 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. 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.
Funding provided through Creative Communities to the relevant local authorities is set out in the table below for the period 2018-2020 since the Programme became fully operational, supporting an extensive programme of activities, events and initiatives.
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
||||
|
Funding |
Events |
Funding |
Events |
Funding |
Events |
|
|
Cork County |
€104,153 |
52 |
€120,552 |
50 |
€176,445 |
32 |
|
Donegal |
€109,145 |
51 |
€129,009 |
60 |
€261,766 |
46 |
|
Galway County |
€124,134 |
29 |
€111,774 |
30 |
€172,526 |
47 |
|
Kerry |
€145,885 |
40 |
€138,774 |
52 |
€182,201 |
34 |
|
Mayo |
€141,774 |
40 |
€107,470 |
43 |
€178,745 |
33 |
This has resulted in a number of initiatives in offshore islands, such as Island Ferry Tales in Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear) and Bere Island, Cork; Museum of Song, a traditional music collecting project on the West Cork Islands of Sherkin, Bere, Whiddy, Oileán Chléire, Long, Dursey and Heir; One Author; Five Islands, a series of online workshops delivered to five primary schools in Inisbofin, Inis Mór, Inis Oirr, Inis Meáin and Mynish Island, Galway; and A Food History of the Mayo Islands.
It is worth noting that in 2021, €145,160 has been allocated each to Cork County, Donegal, Galway County, Kerry and Mayo local authorities under Creative Communities to support their programming and delivery of creative initiatives as part of their implementation of their Culture and Creativity Strategy.
While there are no specific allocations made in respect of offshore islands, the Gaeltacht regions including Gaeltacht islands also benefit from funding support to the traditional arts, including for example via Údarás na Gaeltachta and Ealaín na Gaeltachta. Indeed, the Department’s capital allocation is also deployed in support inter alia of the maintenance and further development of arts/cultural physical infrastructure on Ireland’s Gaeltacht islands. While the specific islands function is now situated in the Department of Rural and Community Development, I note that they have been providing funding for the BA in Visual Arts on Sherkin Island for the last number of years.
