Grants for Irish language arts groups come under fire

From the Galway City Tribune – There was fierce criticism of Galway City Council’s decision to award a paltry sum to Irish language arts groups – from a €400,000 pot divided up between 57 organisations.

Fibín at An Taibhdhearc – Ireland’s national Irish language theatre on Middle Street – had applied for a grant of €20,000 for 2022 from the Council’s Arts Funding Committee for an agreed professional theatre project. Instead, it was awarded €2,000 – up from €1,000 the year before.

Councillor John Connolly (FF), speaking ‘as Gaeilge’, first questioned the grant to An Taibhdhearc, pointing out that the award did not demonstrate that the Council was serious about promoting Galway as Ireland’s only bilingual city.

Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) described the sum as “derisory”, while Cllr Imelda Bryne (FF) asked whether the City’s Irish Language Officer was on the committee deciding the grants.

Among the other groups which did not fare well was the Ballinfoile Castlegar Neighbourhood Centre Youth Theatre, which had put in an application for €5,000 and received €950, despite their aim to “engage young people in theatre with emphasis on 13-16-year-olds from diverse backgrounds”.

Art in Mind, an artists’ work and exhibition space in Liosbán, which “supports artists in the areas of arts and mental health”, was granted €1,000, yet had applied for €22,500.

The biggest recipient again this year was the Galway International Arts Festival, which applied for €70,000, but received €46,000. In the coming years, it – and other major grants to arts organisations – would be “considered under the differentiated model to be developed”, councillors were told.

“Further supports from the Arts Office programme and other Galway City Council funding programmes to be considered particularly in light of significant expansion of the programme in 2022 past-Covid-19 pandemic.”

The other top grants went to The Galway Arts Centre, which got €35,000, and Druid Theatre, which was awarded €28,000, and the Galway Music Residency, granted €26,000 as requested.

Macnas received €24,000 – €26,000 less than it had pitched for – but €5,000 more than last year.

Galway City Arts Officer Gary McMahon said the company had proposed to stage a series of events around the October Bank Holiday, but there would be no massive parade at Halloween due to concerns raised by statutory bodies over health and safety. Because of this it was recommended to revert to the funding level of 2019.

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) accused the committee of “a cut and paste exercise”, claiming that the grants were 99% the same as the year before.

Mr McMahon denied this, saying 14 of the 57 allocations had increases, decreases or were new applications.

He pointed out that An Taibhdhearc was not dependent solely on Galway City Council for its funding, with money granted by Roinn na Gaeltachta, Foras na Gaeilge, and Ealaín na Gaeltachta.

He described those working in Fíbín as “a fabulous bunch of people” who were staging great work in An Taibhdhearc as well as on the streets and in the arts festival. The group had received grants under the Council’s Local Live Performance Scheme during the pandemic.

He noted that other bilingual groups, such as Branar Theatre and Moonfish, had received allocations.

Branar Theatre, which created shows for children, received €8,000, up €1,000 on 2021, but far short of the €25,000 they asked for. Moonfish got €6,000, the same as last year but half of what was requested.

A total of €400,000 was divided out between the 57 groups, which was the biggest grant to arts organisations from any local authority in the country.

Mr McMahon pointed out that almost €785,000 had been applied for. “There is no way we could have kept everyone happy. We work with what you have allocated for the budget.”

(Photo: The Fibín theatre company)