As well as a 10% increase for the Arts Council in Budget 2019, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, has also announced a 19% increase for Creative Ireland, the Government’s culture and creativity programme.

This brings the programme’s funding from €6m to €7.15m. The funding will be used to fund 31 Local Authority Culture and Creativity Strategies which were launched in September; the expansion of Cruinniú na nÓg – a national day of creativity for children and young people; the expansion of the network of Creative Schools, which currently numbers 150 and brings artists into education; and the implementation of the 30 initiatives arising from the recently announced National Creativity Fund.

The latter fund includes the establishment of a national youth orchestra for disabled musicians and a new National Musical Instrument Resource to provide access to musical instruments to anyone regardless of age or socio-economic background.

Commenting on the announcements, Minister Madigan said that the Creative Ireland initiative ‘continues to go from strength to strength… . Communities are being empowered to effect real and meaningful change through creativity.’

Tania Banotti, Director of the Creative Ireland Programme, added:

Through the Creative Ireland Programme, we are seeking to mobilise the huge creative forces that exist in our society. The programme is a statement of ambition: to make our communities stronger, to leave a rich cultural legacy for our children, and to bring the sheer joy of making and creating into all of our lives.

For more, see below or visit https://creative.ireland.ie.