From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Irish artists line up to showcase talent online in new initiative
Ireland Performs, kicks into live action this Monday with a wealth of Irish artists who will share their talent with global audiences from their homes across Ireland. The wide and hugely talented selection of artists range from Ireland’s finest traditional, classical and indie rock musicians to writers and visual artists.
There will be a programme number of live performances every day which will continue for weeks and include special features such next weekend musicians who were due to perform at foremost music events that showcase emerging talent, SXSW and The Great Escape. Audiences can now tune into their choice of what’s online and offstage.
Audiences are promised intimate sessions with musicians including Mick Flannery, Cormac Begley, Aoife Scott, Alan Kelly, John Spillane, Gráinne Hambly and William Jackson, Aindrias de Staic, Sharon Shannon, Slow Moving Clouds, Ailbhe Reddy, Junior Brother, Somebody’s Child, Diane Cannon, Moncrieff, Gerry O’Connor, Leonard Barry and Dr Fionnuala Moynihan, along with poet Kimberly Reyes, and writer Ruairí McKiernan. As audiences are unable to travel to the many beautiful locations that Ireland has to offer, some of the artists have also promised to share their local scenery online.
To support these efforts and ensure that the arts can continue to be enjoyed online, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s Culture Ireland has teamed up with Facebook Ireland to launch this new initiative. The scheme, launched on Friday 3 April, has already attracted more than 200 applications in the first week and Culture Ireland continues to accept applications. The interest from artists including musicians, visual artists, youth theatre and writers reflects the commitment of artists to share their work and stay connected with audiences.
Minister Josepha Madigan said: “The first week’s schedule of Ireland Performs is a true indicator of the wealth of creative talent in Ireland which is dispersed widely around the country. I am delighted that we still have an opportunity to shine a global light on our artists in this period.”
Kieran Hanrahan, Chair of Culture Ireland said
“As so many fantastic Irish artists who were on international tours in March are now back home and with artists’ national and global tours cancelled or postponed, they are sharing their work online rather than on stage. In an innovative way I am delighted that Culture Ireland is still able to support them to reach a global audience”.
Kicking off on Monday, 13th April at 12.30 with a live performance from Gráinne Hambly and William Jackson, people all across Ireland and the wider world can tune in online on Culture Ireland’s Facebook page,
which will stream from the artist’s own social media platform.
A large global audience is expected as the programme will be streamed by key global Irish cultural centres including the Irish Arts Center, New York, the London Irish Centre, Camden and Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris.
Operating as part the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Culture Ireland provides funding and support for Irish artists to reach global audiences. Ireland Performs is an immediate measure to support that mission during the Covid-19 crisis. The scheme mirrors strategies that artists themselves are deploying, reaching out and connecting with online audiences. Culture Ireland wants to ensure that artistic output is fore-fronted and that artists are paid for their performances.
The scheme provides a €100,000 short-term relief fund to pay professional Irish artists for the presentation of their work online. Featured artists will be paid €1,000 for their performance and the scheme will run for an initial period of four weeks. Culture Ireland is aware that there is no substitute for live experience of art, but hopes that this will be an effective short-term solution as communities across the world self-isolate.
Other supports available to artists during the Covid-19 crisis include a €1m Arts Council award fund which is now open for applications and also income supports from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. All supports are outlined on the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s website.