Press Release: NCFA Responds to Budget 2019

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS BROADLY WELCOMES BUDGET 2019 UPLIFTS FOR THE IRISH ARTS SECTOR

Following the presentation of Budget 2019 by Minister Pascal Donohue today, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA), the volunteer-led movement representing Artists and Arts workers in Ireland, broadly welcomes the increases in investment for the Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht and specifically the increase in allocations to both the Arts Council and Creative Ireland. 

The National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) in particular welcomes the €6.8 million uplift for the Arts Council in Budget 2019, given the central role the Arts Council plays in supporting artistic creation across the entire country.

In response to the announcement, NCFA Chair Angela Dorgan said: 

“The 10% uplift in today’s Budget 2019 allocation to the Arts Council is welcomed by the NCFA and demonstrates significant progress towards the restoration of the Arts Council’s pre-recession allocation, which has been dramatically cut since 2008, causing untold damage to the Arts sector in Ireland.  The NCFA also welcomes the increase in funding for Creative Ireland, not least in relation to its important work through the Creative Youth programme. These additional investments help to make up ground in the delivery of the Government’s commitment to doubling investment in the Arts and Culture sector over the next six years.”

The NCFA notes there is no announcement yet of Culture Ireland’s Budget allocation for 2019 and calls for a significant increase to enable it to deliver its vital mission in the context of Brexit and the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 Strategy.

About:

Founded in 2009, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) is a volunteer-led, grassroots movement that makes the case for the Arts in Ireland. The NCFA works to ensure that the Arts are on national and local government agendas. The NCFA is committed to ensuring that the Arts are understood and recognised as a vital part of contemporary Irish life. The NCFA is made up of a broad membership of individuals, groups and arts and culture organisations throughout Ireland. www.ncfa.ie // Facebook @NCFAie // Twitter @campaign4arts //#RoadmapfortheArts #NCFA 

Cian O’Brien, Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre and Aideen Howard, Director of The Ark, and other Board Members of NCFA are available for comment/interview/panel contribution on the Arts allocation in Budget 2019. 

Contact Aileen Galvin, Sync & Swim on 087 8595063 /aileen@syncandswim.ie