merrion street

Funding of just under 500,000 euro has been announced today (29th May, 2014) by Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, for the promotion of Irish arts abroad in the remainder of 2014 and into 2015, through his Department’s Culture Ireland programme.

Announcing the funding, Minister Deenihan said he was determined to build on the success of Irish artists internationally over the past year.

Minister Deenihan commented:

“Last year was a really successful year for our artists overseas, particularly at Culture Ireland’s showcase events at the Edinburgh Festivals and the Venice Biennale, where both events saw Irish artists winning international awards. We witnessed the positive impact of Irish artists when they performed to audiences abroad, most recently at Ceiliúradh, at the Royal Albert Hall, during President Higgins’ visit to Britain. On a national and international scale, the arts make a hugely positive impact on our society. They continue to define us as a people, and internationally, the reputation of our artists continues to grow. The business won through initial contact enabled by the Culture Ireland programme is also remarkable.”

Projects supported in this grant round include major tours in the US, Asia and Europe by Irish musicians. Support will be given to significant presentations by theatre companies, with a growing number of productions touring to Australia. A visual arts programme will also be supported, which includes Richard Mosse's Venice presentation, based on the conflict in eastern Congo. Titled The Enclave, it is set to be shown in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Richard recently won the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2014 for The Enclave.

For the full list of projects funded see: