The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ga, An Chomhairle Ealaíon) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts."

About

It was established in 1951 by the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

, to encourage interest in Irish art (including visual art, music, performance, and literature) and to channel funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations. This includes encouragement of traditional Irish arts, support for contemporary Irish arts, and finance for international arts events in Ireland. The council was modelled on the Arts Council of Great Britain, founded in 1946, and works closely with the

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish: ''Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster-Scots: ''Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan'') is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964, as a successor to ...

, formed by the British government in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in 1962 to fulfil a similar role. The Arts Council is under the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. It is the main distributor of funding to artists and arts organisations in Ireland and also serves to advise the government on the arts. It also funds the artists' organization

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

. They support architecture, dance, drama, film, literature, music, opera, community arts, street arts and spectacle, visual arts and other multidisciplinary projects. In 2011, they launched Culture Fox, an app and "online guide to Irish cultural events". The project was phased out in 2018. As of 2023, and for the 3rd year in a row, the Arts Council receives €130 million in funding from the Irish government.

International policy

The Arts Council of Ireland is the officia
"Cultural Contact Point"
between the

EU Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

's Cultural Programme and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The Arts Council of Ireland is a founding member of th
International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
''Visual Artists Ireland'', the all-Ireland non-governmental organisation representing Irish artists nationally and internationally, is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Members

The arts council consists of 12 members and a chair, each appointed for a five-year term by the

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An tAire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Tourism, Cult ...

. Professor Kevin Rafter was appointed chair in 2019 The CEO is Orlaith McBride.The Arts Council Website
/ref> *Prof.

Kevin Rafter Kevin Rafter is an Irish academic and non-executive director. He is the author of numerous books on media and politics topics, having previously worked as a political journalist. Career Rafter is currently Head of the School of Communications ...

- Chair *Fearghus O’Conchuir - Deputy Chair *

Paddy Glackin Paddy Glackin (born 5 August 1954) is an Irish fiddler and founding member of the Bothy Band. He is considered one of Ireland's leading traditional fiddle players. Biography Paddy Glackin was born on 5 August 1954 in Clontarf, Dublin. His fath ...

*Loughlin Deegan *Martina Moloney *Helen Shaw *Pádraig Ó Duinnín *Donall Curtin *Sinead Moriarty *Mark O’Kelly *

Melatu Uche Okorie Melatu Uche Okorie (born 1975) is a Nigerian-born Irish author and member of the Arts Council of Ireland. Her 2018 short story collection, ''This Hostel Life'', was shortlisted for the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year award at the Irish B ...

* Jillian van Turnhout *Teresa Buczkowska

Chair of the Arts Council

The Chair of the council is appointed for a five year term by the

. * Monsignor

Pádraig de Brún Pádraig de Brún (13 October 1889 – 5 June 1960), also called Patrick Joseph Monsignor Browne, was an Irish clergyman, mathematician, poet, and classical scholar, who served as President of University College, Galway (UCG). He was also known ...

(1959–1960) * Father Donal O’Sullivan SJ (1960–1973) * Máire de Paor (1974–1978) * Dr. Ciarán Benson (1993–1998) * Dr. Brian Farrell (1998–2000) * Patrick Murphy (2000–2003) * Olive Braiden (2003–2009) * Pat Moylan (2009–2014) * Sheila Pratschke (2014–2019) * Prof. Kevin Rafter (2019-2024)

References

External links