Ms Orlaith McBride:

We divide festivals into different categories. Multidisciplinary arts festivals with which we are all familiar, such as Kilkenny, Galway and Clifden arts festivals, Éigse in Carlow and Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, see an investment by the Arts Council of over €3 million. We invest approximately €800,000 in the small festivals, which include the 150 or 160 tiny festivals around the country. Each may receive only €2,000 or €3,000 from us but that is very significant for a local community group trying to get a festival off the ground. There are other festivals that are more art-form specific. Examples are Wexford Festival Opera, in which we invest €1.2 million, and Dublin Dance Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival. The multidisciplinary arts festivals around the country see an investment of approximately €3 million, and €800,000 is invested in the smaller community-based festivals.