Ireland Performs hits over 120K views in first week
23 Irish artists perform live on Facebook in Culture Ireland initiative which is to continue for 3 more weeks
Over 120,000 people have tuned in to the first week of Ireland Performs, the Department’s Culture Ireland initiative with Facebook Ireland that supports Irish artists to perform live to a global audience.
Twenty three performances have taken place in the first eight days from artists located throughout Ireland, from Donegal to Kerry and from Louth to Cork. Artists who have performed to date include Mick Flannery, John Spillane, Aoife Scott and Sharon Shannon. Highlights included a performance from master concertina player, Cormac Begley, from his campervan on the Dingle peninsula in West Kerry which attracted 44,000 viewers and Diane Cannon performing on a beach in picturesque north Donegal.
Each artist had an individual approach to the performance streaming from their own chosen space including Aoife Scott from her shed, Gerry O’Connor from his violin workshop and Aindreas de Staic from Ennistymon’s craft shop. Viewers responded online from Australia, Tasmania, Japan, across Europe to the US and the follow up views for the performances post the live events continue to grow.
The scheme, launched on 3 April, as part of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, has already attracted more than 350 applications. Ireland Performs will continue for at least another three weeks with a stellar offer of some of Ireland’s finest talents including theatre, visual arts and spoken word as well as music.
Minister Josepha Madigan welcomed the initiative’s success, saying
It is great to see that the work of so many of our great artists is being received so positively by Irish and international audiences. I really want to thank all of the artists who’ve shared their work so far.
We know that the COVID-19 emergency is hugely stressful and challenging for artists with performances cancelled and incomes reduced or lost. This is only one of the range of initiatives to support artists and details of all of the supports are available on the Department’s website.
Details of this week’s events are available on Culture Ireland’s website and include lunchtime treats from Inni-K, Ger Wolfe and Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea. Tea time specials are promised with artists such as Nuala Kennedy, Aoife Nessa Frances and Oisin Mac Diarmada and Samantha Harvey and evenings will rock with True Tides, Shane Hennessy and Thumper. You can watch all performances on the Culture Ireland Facebook page HERE.
Ireland Performs is a grant scheme to support professional artists and enable the live presentation of their work on online platforms. Funding of €100,000 is being made available on a match funded basis by Facebook Ireland and Culture Ireland, a division of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. All successful artists will be awarded €1,000. The scheme is managed by Culture Ireland in conjunction with First Music Contact and Poetry Ireland in association with RTÉ. The artists (and/or their agents and publishers) own and retain copyright of their work. The scheme is still open for applications and more information is available HERE.
Artists and those working in the arts sector are also eligible to apply for a range of government supports that have been introduced in the wake of the crisis, including the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Benefit. Visit the Department’s website for full details HERE.