Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the traditional Irish harp in primary and post primary curriculum; if, given the expense of purchasing an Irish harp, funding is available from her Department or agencies associated with these significant instruments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16928/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Music education in all of its different forms plays is an important part of the curriculum in both primary and post primary education and also in non-mainstream educational settings.

There are several references to the Irish harp, traditional Irish instruments and to traditional music-making in the Primary Music curriculum. It emphasises the importance of using the voice, the first and most accessible instrument for the child, both for the sheer enjoyment of performance and as a means through which musical skills may be expanded’, with regards to the Performing strand. Other instruments are optional. The range of these instruments depend on teachers’ individual interests and expertise. It is recommended that pupils in junior classes would develop an awareness of categories of instruments, including traditional Irish instruments, this is expanded for senior classes and there is an expectation that pupils would be able to identify a range of traditional musical instruments including the Irish harp.

The aim of the Post Primary Music curriculum is for students to avail of class-based performance opportunities. Typically, they sing or play instruments such as recorder or Ukulele. My Department funds the provision of a range of equipment to post-primary schools offering music as a subject. The details of the equipment provided are available on my department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/5e1da-furniture-equipment/#post-primary-equipment-list. Existing schools wishing to offer music as a new subject may apply for grant aid for this equipment to the Furniture & Equipment Section of my Department’s Planning and Building Unit in Tullamore. The equipment is automatically provided for newly constructed schools where music is part of the curriculum. Schools may enhance this equipment with their capitation grant if they so wish.

Additionally, my Department provides funding to non-mainstream educational initiatives via the Non-Mainstream Music Education Bursary scheme. The Non-Mainstream Music Education Bursary is a Department of Education funded initiative to provide additional funding. The purpose of the scheme is to provide support by way of a cash grant, to established, smaller-scale, non-mainstream music education/community music initiatives with limited or no access to other forms of public funding. Grants are not intended for use on capital expenditure such as structural/building costs but can be used for instruments.

My Department also provides funding to Music Generation to support the delivery of non-mainstream music performance education. This is done through Local Music Education Partnerships, or LMEPs. An LMEP is a locally based active and engaged steering group, advisory group or committee made up of a range of experts and stakeholders advising on and guiding a programme that offers high-quality performance music education opportunities to children and young people. LMEPs do not fund capital purchases of musical instruments for schools but provide accessible music tuition for children and young people.

In terms of advocacy of harp music, its legacy, tradition and of the craft of harp-making Harp Ireland/Cruit Éireann has benefitted from grants in 2024 from Music Capital Scheme Awards. These grants are coordinated by Music Network and funded by Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The most recent an annual celebration of harp music, Lá na Cruite (Harp Day) 2024 was held October 19-20, 2024, at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and featured artists include Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, Maeve Gilchrist, Iarla Ó Lionaird, Parker Ramsay, and Connor Way.