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The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally Irish: An Chomhairle Ealaíon[1]) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts".
 Official logo for the Arts Council | |
Native name | An Chomhairle Ealaíon |
|---|---|
| Industry | The arts |
| Founded | 8 May 1951 |
| Founder | Government of Ireland |
| Headquarters | 70 Merrion Square, |
Area served | Ireland |
Key people | |
| Revenue | 77,296,000 euro (2019)  |
| Total assets | 64,105,000 euro (2022) |
Number of employees | 71 (2022) |
| Website | www |
History
editThe Arts Council of Ireland was established in 1951 by the government of Ireland,[2] to encourage interest in Irish art (including visual art, music, performance, and literature) and to channel funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations. This includes encouragement of traditional Irish arts, support for contemporary Irish arts, and finance for international arts events in Ireland. The council was modelled on the Arts Council of Great Britain, founded in 1946, and works closely with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, formed by the British government in Northern Ireland in 1962 to fulfil a similar role.[citation needed]
In 2011, the Council launched Culture Fox, an app and "online guide to Irish cultural events".[3][4] The project was phased out in 2018.[5]
In 2023, for the 3rd year in a row, the Arts Council received €130 million in funding from the Irish government.[6]
Description and governance
editThe Arts Council is an agency of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.[7] It is the main distributor of funding to artists and arts organisations in Ireland and also serves to advise the government on the arts. It also funds the artists' organization Aosdána. They support architecture, dance, drama, film, literature, music, opera, community arts, street arts and spectacle, visual arts and other multidisciplinary projects.[8]
Maureen Kennelly was appointed as director in 2020.[9]
International policy
editThe Arts Council of Ireland is the official Cultural Contact Point between the EU Commission's Cultural Programme and Ireland.[10]
The Arts Council of Ireland is a founding member of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies.
Visual Artists Ireland, the all-Ireland non-governmental organisation representing Irish artists nationally and internationally, is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Activities
editCulture Night
edit
Beginning as an initiative of Dublin City Council and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust,[11] the Arts Council has organised an annual Culture night nationwide, in which museums and galleries open later, and special events are staged, on a Friday in every September since 2006.[12] Events also occur in Northern Ireland.[13][14]
Members
editThe arts council consists of 12 members and a chair, each appointed for a five-year term by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.[citation needed] The council comprises:[when?][citation needed]
- Maura McGrath - Chair
- Fearghus O'Conchuir - Deputy Chair
- Paddy Glackin
- Loughlin Deegan
- Martina Moloney
- Helen Shaw
- Pádraig Ó Duinnín
- Donall Curtin
- Sinead Moriarty
- Mark O’Kelly
- Melatu Uche Okorie
- Jillian van Turnhout
- Teresa Buczkowska
Chair of the Arts Council
editThe chair of the council is appointed for a five-year term by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport. Past chairs have included:
- Pádraig de Brún (1959–1960)
- Father Donal O'Sullivan SJ (1960–1973)
- Máire de Paor (1974–1978)
- Ciarán Benson (1993–1998)
- Brian Farrell (1998–2000)
- Patrick Murphy (2000–2003)
- Olive Braiden (2003–2009)
- Pat Moylan (2009–2014)
- Sheila Pratschke (2014–2019)
- Kevin Rafter (2019–2024)[15]
- Maura McGrath (2024– )
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Arts Act 2003, Section 8". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ↑ Arts Act 1951, s. 2: Establishment of An Chomhairle Ealaíon (No. 9 of 1951, s. 2). Enacted on 8 May 1951. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 12 October 2015.
- ↑ www.fusio.net. "Cultural Events around Ireland". Culture Fox. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ↑ "Culturefox.ie tim duggan iphone android blackberry app". TIM DUGGAN. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ↑ The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon 713th Plenary Meeting 70 Merrion Square, Dublin, 25 April 2018:(https://www.artscouncil.ie/uploadedFiles/wwwartscouncilie/Content/Publications/Council_papers/PlenaryMinutes_April%202018_Redacted.pdf)
- ↑ "Arts Council Funding Remains at €130m for 2023". The Journal of Music. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ↑ "The Arts Council of Ireland - Arts in EducationArts in Education". Arts in Education. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ↑ "Awards, Bursaries and Grants". Visual Artists Ireland. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ↑ The Arts Council Website
- ↑ The Irish Times
- ↑ "Culture Night 2010 at Trinity College Promises Adventure and Discovery". TCD.ie. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "About • Culture Night". CultureNight.ie. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "In Pictures: Colour and craic on Culture Night". Yahoo News. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "Culture Night in Belfast will 'bring community together'". BBC.com. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ Boland, Rosita (29 January 2014). "Arts Council appoints new chair and board members". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 October 2018.