Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes and look forward to working with him and all other Deputies in the House. My Department runs a small-scale local festivals and summer school scheme. Funding available under the scheme is typically capped at €5,000. Full details of the scheme are available from my Department's website. Applications for 2020 closed on 24 April and details of allocations may also be found on the website.

There were no applications from County Clare to my Department's 2020 small-scale local festivals and summer schools scheme. The Arts Council funds a number of festivals in County Clare under its festival investment scheme. All funding decisions can be viewed on the Arts Council website.

The list of festivals that the Arts Council funded in County Clare in 2019, under its programme festival scheme, included funding of €3,000 for the Feakle International Traditional Musical Festival. Also under the scheme, Consairtín 2019, the National Concertina Convention, received €5,000, Ennis Book Club Festival received €25,500, Iniscealtra Arts Festival received €9,500, Killaloe Chamber Music Festival received €16,000, Oidhreacht an Chlair received €3,467 for the Seventh Annual Concertina Cruinniú and Sixmilebridge Folk Club received €5,000 for the Shannonside Winter Music Festival.

It is important to note that, under the Arts Act, the Arts Council is statutorily independent in its funding decisions. Therefore, neither my officials nor I have any input into the disbursement of funding.

Fáilte Ireland provides support to large-scale festivals and participative events through its national programme. At the start of the Covid-19 crisis, Fáilte Ireland immediately paid 50% of the festivals' agreed funding within the programme. Fáilte Ireland is working with these festivals to establish whether they will go ahead and, where appropriate, helping to develop revised programming. The remainder of the funding will be provided based on these revised programmes. Fáilte Ireland also administers a regional festivals programme and funding has been paid in full to the local authorities. It also runs an innovation programme for new festivals but this programme has been temporarily suspended and no new applications are being considered at present.

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