A conference on philanthropy and the arts takes place this Thursday in Dublin.

A Welsh MP is seeking ideas for a folk music manifesto. Could a manifesto for traditional music in Ireland be developed?

Alvina Grosu has been appointed to the Arts Council position, in which she will implement a scheme that examines diversity in artists' work and people's experience of the arts.

The Arts Council is accepting applications for its recording fund, designed to give support to performers and composers working in non-commercial genres to ensure the maximum dissemination of their work.

The joint Arts Council/Temple Bar Cultural Trust initiative will help arts organisations connect with their audiences

The Arts Council has announced details of deadlines for a number of funding and grant opportunities for musicians and composers.

The maximum amount for the Arts Council's music commissions award is €10,000. Submissions should be made by Thursday, 15 March 2012.

Total funding committed by the Arts Council amounted to €60.3 million in 2010. The estimated turnover of the Arts Council funded organisations and individuals in 2010 was €135m.

Funding for the arts is essential, but without the right approach it can blunt artists’ entrepreneurial skills, writes Toner Quinn

The rise and fall of the Irish new music scene.

The challenges facing the funding of the arts go beyond the current economic situation.