Increase in arts funding a boost for local culture

A sharp increase in arts funding from Cork City Council is good news for individuals and groups, says Colette Sheridan

Cork City arts officer Liz Meaney says the recently announced dramatic increase in arts funding from Cork City Council this year is recognition of “the strength and depth of the arts sector in the city. Once we made the call for applications for 2014 and saw the scale of the response, we felt it was incumbent upon us to make the request for increased funding.” The funding has increased from €69,000 to €169,000 for the year.

As Cork city manager (soon to become Cork county manager) Tim Lucey says: “It has been consistently demonstrated that cities which are cultured, creative and diverse in their approach to developing their civic life are among the most successful across a range of indicators. These include quality of life, foreign direct investment and social cohesion. Acknowledging this and valuing the work itself, we have decided to increase the funding.”