Press release
Shared Island Arts Investment projects
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, today announced five new all-island Arts investment projects, which are being delivered with a total allocation of €7.4 million from the government’s Shared Island Fund.
The projects were brought forward by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and approved by Government in July 2022, subject to finalisation of each project proposal.
The two Councils frequently work together to co-fund Arts programming on the island. The Shared Island Fund allocations will complement and support this cooperation with capital support for arts and cultural infrastructure with a defined all-island focus. The five projects will be delivered by Arts partners, North and South, to provide new facilities and opportunity for artistic exchange, curation, and audience engagement across the island.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
“The Shared Island Fund is about bringing people together from all parts of the island. Culture and the arts are among the ways we can do that, harnessing their power to unite people not to divide them. The five projects receiving funding are wide-ranging: enhancing archives for architectural records and amateur films, creating new studio spaces for traditional music and visual arts, and providing a cross-border residence for writers. There will also be new initiatives to connect artists north and south. I’m delighted to see Shared Island funding being used to promote the arts, which help to give us a new perspective on lives and culture in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It’s also a big step in expanding the all-island aspect of Creative Ireland.”
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said:
“I am pleased to see five new Arts investment projects moving forward today, supported through the government’s Shared Island Fund. The Arts are uniquely important in providing perspective and inspiration in society and a vital part of how we share this island.
“I commend the long-standing cooperation by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Arts Council Northern Ireland in developing these projects, which will enable cross-border interaction on Architectural and Film Heritage, Traditional Music, Writing and the Visual Arts.”
Minister Catherine Martin said:
“Arts and culture play a vital role in our lives with phenomenal potential to bring people together. I am delighted to see these awards to five projects that will take forward a major Shared Island dimension to the government’s investment in the Arts. The projects will provide new opportunities to build relationships and understanding through the Arts for people across all communities and traditions of this island.”
The five Shared Island funded projects are:
In addition to the capital allocations being made available, the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland will be working together to support Arts programming on a collaborative cross-border basis.
Shared Island Arts investment projects:
Shared Island initiative:
As provided for in the Programme for Government, the government is taking forward the Shared Island initiative, to work with all communities for a shared future, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. This involves:
The initiative is taken forward on a whole of government basis, driven and coordinated through the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.
The government has so far allocated €247 million from the Shared Island Fund, moving ahead with cross-border commitments, including to the Ulster Canal restoration and capital investment at Ulster University’s Derry campus, and commencing new all-island projects and programmes that respond to common interests and concerns.