Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I did not catch the name of the group at the start of Deputy Lowry's contribution. The Arts Council is independent in how it funds artists but it does fund artists at a grassroots level. I increased the budget this year from €68 million to €75 million. There is a scheme to support small-scale local festivals and summer schools. It is reserved for appropriate festivals and groups. The maximum funding provided is €5,000. That may well be a scheme the theatre group would fit into. I note that Tipperary has received no funding under the scheme since its inception in 2017 and that is regrettable. Only one application was made in 2018 for the Tipperary Peace Convention but it was assessed as having insufficient cultural content demonstrated on the application to merit funding.

11 o’clock

There will always be other opportunities for this group to apply and I hope it will be supported and nurtured in its development.

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