In its latest round of annual funding decisions, the Arts Council has allocated over €7.3m in the categories of opera, traditional arts and music. This is a 7% increase on the 2016 figure of €6.8m.

The increase follows the recent Government announcement of an 8% increase overall for the 2017 Arts Council budget. 

Among the decisions are a 13% increase for Opera Theatre Company to €770,000; a 19% increase for the Irish Baroque Orchestra to €208,000; a 15% increase for the Association of Irish Choirs to €145,000; and a 13% increase for Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy to €90,000.

Wexford Festival Opera received €1.44m, a 1% increase on 2016; Irish Chamber Orchestra received €916,000, a 6% increase; Music Network received €518,000, an increase of 1%; the Irish Traditional Music Archive received a 5% increase to €650,000; and Na Píobairí Uilleann received €360,000, a 4% increase on last year.

Several other organisations received an increase, including Chamber Choir Ireland (€392,000, 8% increase), West Cork Music (€260,000, 7% increase), Louth Contemporary Music (€53,000, 6% increase), and Comharchumann Forbartha Ghaoth Dobhair – the organision that runs Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair (€41,000, 14% increase).

The Westport Festival of Chamber Music received annual funding for the first time, amounting to €15,000. The Journal of Music received an 11% increase, bringing its annual funding to €41,000. 

The total amount allocated to traditional arts under the annual funding scheme for 2017 is €1.24m (6% increase), for opera it is €2.21m (5% increase), and for organisations in the music category it is €3.85m (7% increase).

For full details of all decisions, see below. For an interactive map of Arts Council funding, visit https://goo.gl/jbiQeT