Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is huge inequity in the scheme of funding to support artists, especially single artists, arts centres, dance schools and other groups like that. This scheme is under the remit of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The application process is the same as under the old system we had prior to the pandemic. It needs to be adapted and changed because the Arts Council and several other larger groups have got huge funding, sometimes from two or three different strands of funding, while groups such as the South Tipperary Arts Centre in Clonmel, dance schools and different festival groups in Tipperary are denied funding, as well as the single artists who have got no supports. The work of all of these people and groups is of huge benefit to communities and society. We need to change the funding application process to a new system that will take cognisance of those people and artists and the concerts and festivals they run every year. We need a sense of hope that we will be out of the pandemic and can have some festivals this year, but those involved cannot get the funding. The Arts Council got tens of millions in funding. It is not fair or transparent and it is not an equal playing field.

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