Creative Arts: Agencies

The Arts Council is an autonomous body, under the aegis of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is the national agency for the promotion and development of the arts in Ireland. It was established in 1951, to stimulate public interest in, and promote the knowledge, appreciation and practice of, the arts. The Arts Council is a voluntary body of 12 members and a chair, appointed by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for a period of five years.

The ongoing work of the Arts Council is delivered by the Executive. In addition to the Director, a staff of 49 full-time equivalents carries out the daily functions of the organisation.

Arts Council Funding 1997 – 2020

(Amounts shown in euro)

The Arts Council can be contacted at:

Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. Re-established in 1993, the agency has played a crucial role in the development of the indigenous creative screen industries.

Screen Ireland's mission is to support and promote Irish film, television and animation through fostering Irish artistic vision and our diverse creative and production talent, growing audiences, and attracting filmmakers and investment into the country.

Screen Ireland is committed to providing leadership, direction and advocacy for the Irish screen industries, as well as supporting writers, directors and production companies through investing in Irish filmmaking talent.

Screen Ireland promotes Irish screen content and Irish talent to major international festivals & markets. Screen Ireland is also committed to supporting the distribution of feature films, bringing Irish film to wider audiences and engaging with European counterparts on mutually beneficial policy initiatives. The agency is also responsible for generating inward investment by promoting Ireland as a film location.

Through Screen Skills Ireland, the skills development unit of Screen Ireland, Screen Ireland is responsible for investing in people and skills development for the creative screen sectors in Ireland. Screen Skills Ireland designs, develops and delivers industry-focused skills development initiatives, encompassing film, TV, animation, games and VFX, for all roles from new entrants to company leaders.

Screen Ireland receives capital and administrative funding from the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht. The film, TV and animation sector has a Gross Value Added of €692 million. This includes production and distribution/exploitation. The film, TV and animation sector comprises 11,960 jobs by way of direct, indirect and induced employment.

The mission of the National Library is to collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to contribute to the provision of access to the larger universe of recorded knowledge. The National Library is open, free of charge, to all those who wish to consult the collections. You will need a Reader’s Ticket to consult most categories of material.

The National Library does not lend books. Reading is done in the various reading rooms. They do have a copying service and it is possible to get digital images, prints and photocopies of most items in the collections. The Office of the Chief Herald and the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar are all part of the National Library. The Library has a lively programme of exhibitions and events for all ages.

The main contact details for the National Library are listed below:

The National Archives was established on 1 June 1988 following the amalgamation of the State Paper Office (SPO) and the Public Record Office of Ireland (PROI).

The SPO was established in 1702 as a repository for records relating to the administrations of the various Lords Lieutenant (the English monarch’s representative in Ireland) who, until that date, had taken all of their records with them on leaving office. The SPO was situated in Dublin Castle until 1990.

The PROI was established under the Public Records (Ireland) Act, 1867 to acquire administrative, court and probate records over twenty years old. The PROI building in the Four Courts was seized during the Civil War. The repository building was destroyed by fire in June 1922, along with most of the records, some dating back to the 13th century.

Following the establishment of the modern Irish state in 1922, the PROI and SPO continued to function until the enactment of the National Archives Act, 1986, which transferred their functions and holdings to the newly established National Archives. Under this legislation, records of government departments and their agencies are transferred to the National Archives when they are 30 years old.

In 1989, the government assigned premises at Bishop Street in Dublin to the National Archives. The premises of the former SPO in the Record Tower at Dublin Castle was vacated in August 1991 and the headquarters of the National Archives moved from the Four Courts to Bishop Street in September 1992.