Abbey Theatre lands historic €25.7m three-year grant

THE Abbey Theatre has landed the biggest grant of its history with the Arts Council awarding it €25.7 million for the next three years.

This year’s round of revenue funding, announced yesterday, is the biggest single grant the Arts Council has ever awarded and marks the first time that the National Theatre has received a three-year funding package.

The institution was on the brink of bankruptcy last year after running up substantial, unforeseen debts. Those debts were cleared with funding from the Department of Arts, so the new grant will not go to service debt.