In its latest round of funding, announced on 31 December, Culture Ireland has awarded a total of €319,490 to Irish musicians and groups touring abroad this year.

Among the recipients are singer-songwriter Hilary Woods for a tour of Europe, USA and Canada; folk group Lankum for a US tour this month; All Tvvins for a European tour with their upcoming album Just to Exist; the Irish Chamber Orchestra for a series of concerts in South America; and jazz band AERIE for performances in Belgium and China in April and June.

Also successful were Saint Sister for a 20-date US tour in March; Finghin Collins for a US tour in April; the Evan Parker and Paul G. Smyth Duo for a concert in Moscow in February; and We Banjo 3 for a 45-date tour of the USA over the next three months.

Imagining Ireland: Words and Music, a celebration of Irish culture at the Barbican in London that features Martin Hayes, Lisa O’Neill and more receives €47,000, and the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow receives €20,000.

The category of Music received the highest allocation of funding from an overall funding pot of €1.078m. In the Opera category, a production of Donnacha Dennehy’s The Second Violinist receives €30,000 for a performance presented by Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam in March.

For full details of music and opera funding, see below. For further information, visit www.cultureireland.ie.

Culture Ireland Awards – January 2019

Music
Imagining Ireland: Words and Music at the Barbican Centre, London, 30 January 2019. Presentation by Serious in association with NCH Dublin.
€47,000

Performance by the Irish Chamber Orchestra in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Sao Paulo, Brazil from 3–10 June 2019.
€38,000

Celtic Connections, Glasgow, 17 January–3 February 2019.
€20,000

JigJam tour of USA & Australia, 1 March–30 April 2019.
€9,000

A range of performances including Ye Vagabonds, Sean Keane, Compánach, a performance for International Women’s Day and Irish Master Musicians Concerts at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, London, in 2019.
€9,000

Réalta tour of the USA, 28 February–23 March 2019
€7,500

20-date North American Tour by Saint Sister, March 2019
€7,500

IMDL presenting traditional Irish music concerts as part of Return to Camden Town Concert Series, London, throughout 2019.
€7,500

Hilary Woods presenting Colt on tour in Europe, the United States & Canada, 19 January–19 March 2019.
€7,500

Wallis Bird tour of Australia & New Zealand, 8–24 March 2019
€6,000

The Sharon Shannon Band tour of Australia, 22 February-17 March 2019.
€6,000

JigJam and Curtis Walsh at the 20th Harare International Festival of the Arts, 2–4 May 2019.
€6,000

Lúnasa tour of US and Canada, 20 February–31 March 2019.
€6,000

Lankum US tour, 5–12 January 2019.
€6,000

Irish artists performing at Les Semaines Irlandaises en Artois-Gohelle, La Grange, Aix-Noulette, France, 14–24 March & 21 June 2019.
€5,000

We Banjo 3 45-date tour of USA, 22 January-26 March 2019.
€5,000

European Union Youth Orchestra Spring tour performing in Italy and Luxembourg, 9-26 April 2019
€5,000

Hermitage Green undertaking tour in the Canada, 14 February-6 March 2019
€5,000

Connla winter tour of the USA, 11–28 January 2019
€5,000

Téada East Coast and Mid-West tour of USA, 23 February–10 March 2019
€5,000

Spring USA Tour by Socks in the Frying Pan, 28 February–25 March 2019
€5,000

Tour of Camille O’Sullivan’s show Cave in UK and Australia, from 9 April 2019
€5,000

Performances by the Royal Irish Acadamy of Music percussion ensemble of Coming to America at NYU Steinhardt, Lehmann College and the Aaron Copland School of Music, 24-30 March 2019
€5,000

US and Canada tour by David Keenan, 26 February–20 March 2019
€5,000

VIVA Irlanda!, E-Dublin XP III and St Patrick’s Day Festivals in Brazil, 10–17 March 2019
€5,000

The Jeremiahs performance at Durango Celtic Festival, Colorado, USA, 7-9 March.2019
€5,000

Presentation by Music of Oriel at the National Festival, Canberra Australia, 17–23 April 2019
€4,000

Tour by FONTAINES D.C, in Britain, Europe and the USA, January–March 2019
€4,000

KERN tour of USA and Canada, 8–26 February 2019
€4,000

Goitse tour of USA, 27 February–19 March 2019
€4,000

European tour by The Eskies, 29 March-13 April 2019
€4,000

Performances by Inni-K, New York, 8–18 February 2018
€4,000

Talos undertaking support tour for AURORA in Europe, 15–19 January 2019
€3,500

Seamus Fogarty European tour, 4–17 February 2019
€3,500

European tour of Just to Exist by All Tvvins, 25 March–7 April 2019
€3,500

Presentation of Irish musicians at Irish music block, United Islands of Prague, Czech Republic, 31 May-2 June 2019
€3,000

HighTime tour of USA, 6-27 March 2019
€3,000

The Kevin Brady Trio at The Eurojazz Festival, Cenart Arts Centre and Zincos Jazz Club, Mexico City, 15–17 March 2019
€3,000

Rhob Cunningham Australian Tour supporting Wallis Bird, 14–21 March 2019
€3,000

Performances by Clár Ní Argáin of Blackbirds, Ballads and Blues in USA, from April to July 2019
€3,000

The Washington Chorus presenting Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre for St Patrick’s Day Concert at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 17 March 2019.
€3,000

Participation by Irish artists Lorcan Mac Mathuna, Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhride and Conor Caldwell at venues in Wales and Scotland, UK, 1–29 May 2019.
€2,500

AERIE undertaking a tour to Switzerland and Belgium on 12–20 April 2019 and a tour of China, 10–19 June 2019.
€2,500

Solo US tour by classical guitarist Redmond O’Toole, 2–14 April 2019.
€2,500

Irish musicians performing Songs from Ireland: Old and New in Switzerland from 24–27 January 2019.
€2,500

Performance of Irish artists at Trad Fest Belgica, Belgium, 21–24 February 2019.
€1,500

Participation of Anthony Kelly, David Staling and Seamus O’Donnell at BRIMBORIUM Sound Art Festival in Gorzów, Poland in February 2019.
€1,500

Evan Parker and Paul G. Smyth Duo present Calenture and Light Leaks and The Dogs of Nile at DOM Cultural Centre, Moscow, Russia, 23 February 2019
€1,400

Performances of Irish artists at Nièvre meet Ireland / La nièvre rencontre l’Irlande, Nièvre, France, 1-17 March 2019.
€1,200

Shane Hennessy performing at MerleFest 2019, North Carolina, USA, 25-26 April 2019
€1,090

Presentation of Irish traditional nusic performers at Cassel Craic, France, 11-14 April 2019
€1,000

Finghin Collins performing concerts in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, USA, 12–20 April 2019.
€1,000

Portugese tour by David Keenan, 22–28 January 2019.
€1,000

UK tour by David Keenan to Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, London, Birmingham, Leeds, 1-7 February 2019
€1,000

Concert of contemporary music work (Clarinet Concerto) by Frank Corcoran at Church of Christ and St Stephen, 120 West 69th Street, New York City, on 17 March 2019.
€1,000

Aoife Scott performing at Irish Cultural Week Denmark, Copenhagen, 1 March 2019.
€1,000

Daoiri Farrell Trio performing at Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering Isle of Man, 20 July 2019.
€800

Presentation of music by Jane O’Leary at the Tenri Cultural Institute, New York City, USA , 14 March 2019
€500

Opera
Dutch National Opera presents The Second Violinist, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 7 and 9 March 2019.
€30,000

For more information, visit www.cultureireland.ie.