Arts Council Ireland awards €1.25m in grants

Published Thursday 18 October 2007 at 12:25 by Michael Quinn

The Arts Council of Ireland has announced grants of more than €1.25 million to 23 of the country’s theatre, opera and circus companies, organisations and venues.

The funding is part of a €5 million package to 114 arts bodies awarded under a newly instituted Annual Programming Grant scheme.

The grants are offered as a contribution towards the costs of specific activities rather than normal administration costs and are intended to aid successful applicants with their forward artistic planning.

Among the major beneficiaries are Cork Opera House, which is to receive €200,000, the Civic Theatre, Tallaght (€160,000) and the Cork-based Opera 2005 company (€110,000).

Dublin theatre companies Loose Cannon and Hatch are to receive €98,000 and €75,000 respectively, and Waterford’s Theatre Royal €80,000. Four circus companies will share more than €210,000 with the lion’s share of €75,000 going to Tom Duffy’s Circus.

Among the other recipients, Galway’s Chrysalis Dance has been awarded €16,780 with two national bodies, the Drama League of Ireland (€57,000) and the Association of Irish Stage Technicians (€16,000), to receive five-figure awards.

The new Annual Programming Grant category is one of a series currently being introduced by the arts council as it phases out its existing revenue funding programme.