€25m extra funding to stabilise Arts & Culture sector

The Republic of Ireland's Government announced an extra €25 million of funding yesterday to help stabilise the Arts and Culture sector following the Covid19 Emergency.

It follows a separate €31 million investment made through last week's Jobs Stimulus package (see blogpost), part of which – a €6 chunk – was directed towards Ireland's National Cultural Institutions, and especially to the National Library and National Archives of Ireland.

Pan Am's Yankee Clipper flew from New York to Foynes
in Co Limerick, starting the Transatlantic mail service.
See captions below.

Within the new package of funding, the following specific allocations have been made:

A further €1 million in grant aid will be available to smaller cultural organisations already supported by annual funding from the Department for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht. It includes Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Hunt Museum, Archbishop Marsh’s Library, the National Print Museum and the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, plus organisations caring for collections of moveable cultural heritage of national importance, or collections that are unique in the country and relate to matters of national interest.

A new €2 million Audience Re-engagement Fund will be reserved for not-for-profit small, regional and specialised museums that are not in receipt of operational funding from the Department or bodies under its aegis. The intention is to support those museums in regional and rural areas or with a specific focus of both local and national interest that were particularly impacted by the Covid-19 Emergency.

Other areas to be supported include cross-border projects organised under the Cooperation with Northern Ireland Scheme 2020 (€134,095); 15 projects under the Regional Museum Exhibitions Scheme 2020 including an exhibition on the life and work of artist Nano Reid at the Highlanes Gallery, Louth and the restoration of an RA105 vintage double decker bus exhibition with back stairs at the national Transport Museum in Howth, Co. Dublin (€137,581); the Business to Arts (€58,000) group, which helps cultural and artistic projects raise funds; and the Music Capital Scheme administered by Music Network, Ireland's national music touring and development (€270,000).

The €25 million allocation will be made available through the Arts Council (€20million) and the Department for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht (€5 million)



Captions for photos:
Top - Pan Am's Boeing 314 Yankee Clipper started the Transatlantic Mail Service. Photo, c1939.
Bottom - A full-size replica can be explored at Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Co Limerick.
Middle - Luxury Class dining room on board the Yankee Clipper replica.