So it’s budget day today in the Republic of Ireland and of course, the gulf between them’ns and us’ns , for the arts at the very least, widens ever more.
A few back-of-the-envelope calculations are enough to make the eyes well up. The Republic’s Arts Council allocation for 2026 is €140 million, approximately £119 million. Up here, ACNI’s normal level of annual government allocation is around £13 million. I say is around because we are 7 months into the financial year and still operating from interim budgets that offer the unedifying prospect of a further 5% cut. But I digress … the Southern budget is therefore nine times the investment, for fewer than three times the population.
And alongside that southern Arts Council funding, we have heard further announcements today of €34.4 million for the basic artists’ income support scheme. That income scheme alone is worth roughly £29 million—more than twice the normal government allocation to our Arts Council.
Here, ACNI has asked government for £20 million-odd. Asked!! Seven months into the financial year, it still has no confirmed budget…
Read the rest of the CAPtain’s blog at the link below.
