Arts community relieved at 19% funding increase

Arts: There was an air of relief in the arts community yesterday following the announcement that €52.5 million would be going to the Arts Council - an increase of 19 per cent on last year.

The Irish Film Board received €11.8 million, an increase of 9 per cent. There was also a significant one-off allocation of €3.9 million to fund a cultural programme during Ireland's six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins in January.

The Festival of Irish Culture in China, due to take place next summer in Beijing and Shanghai, and the incoming Festival of Chinese Culture in Ireland next autumn, received a total of €2.1 million. The festivals had been due to take place this year but were postponed due to SARS.

Cork will be City of Culture in 2005 and it received €3.175 million as a first instalment to the development of its programme. In other funding, €900,000 went to ReJoyce Dublin 2004 - a special committee and programme established to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday.

The National Library, which will hold a major associated exhibition, received €1.8 million. "Artists and arts organisations have every reason to be optimistic about their sector. Funding for the arts is very significantly increased in 2004," the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said yesterday.

While it's true that arts funding has increased for 2004, the increase must be seen in the context of a bad year last year. In 2003, the Arts Council's budget alone was 20 per cent lower than the figures it had been due according to the National Arts Plan, and the Irish Film Board lost 12 per cent of its funding.

Last month, the Arts Council had gone public with its pre-Budget submission for the first time in its 52-year history: they were looking for €53.7 million, a figure only €700,000 short of what they actually got.

"In light of all the competing demands, we're very happy with what we got this year. It's a substantial increase and it would be pretty churlish of us to say otherwise," commented Ms Olive Braiden, chairwoman of the council. Mr Mark Woods, the Irish Film Board's chief executive, said: "Given the economic situation, we appreciate the Government's commitment to supporting the national film agency and this increase means we now have a solid foundation with which to consolidate on this year's successes."