€98,000 Invested in Offaly Arts By The Arts Council For 2018

People in Offaly will experience the arts in new and exciting ways in 2018, the Arts Council said today.

Outlining its plan to invest €68.4 million nationwide over the course of the year, the agency for developing the arts said the focus of this year’s investment would be on creating opportunities for the public to experience large-scale work, as well as work of real artistic ambition, by supporting organisations through its two new funding programmes.

“2018 is going to be an excellent year for people in Offaly who enjoy the arts, said Arts Council Director, Orlaith McBride. “Whether you love theatre or festivals and events, whether you are young or old, you will experience great work that will lift your spirit.”

The Council said more than half of its total grant from Government would be invested through its new Strategic Funding programme, for established organisations operating at the highest level across all the areas of the arts. This includes funding for the first time at this level for several organisations.

In addition, there will be increased funding for particular work by artists, emerging companies and organisations through the new Arts Grants Funding programme

Individual artists will be supported through a range of schemes such as bursaries and the Next Generation award, the Council said, with funding too for the dozens of unique festivals that take place in communities across Ireland in 2018.

Amongst the grants offered to organisations in Offaly were:

• €49,000 for Offaly Council Arts Service
• €33,000 for Birr Theatre

The Arts Office aims to provide quality, inclusive and innovative experiences of the arts and to demonstrate the value and benefits of increased access to and involvement in the arts for all its citizens. It is a lead partner with Westmeath Council in Music Generation, a music education service for children and young people. It identifies and develops plans to address gaps in arts provision in the county. Through the partnership the Arts Council ensures that they support a range of opportunities for artists and citizens of Co Offaly to engage in the arts.

Birr Theatre is an independent multi-disciplinary arts centre, reopened in 2001with a 220 seat theatre, a foyer / gallery space and rehearsal space. It is an arts resource for Birr and the surrounding area and it hosts touring multi-disciplinary performance work.