Government urged to step in to aid Feis

THE Government was urged last night to restore a €44,000 grant to keep Cork’s Feis Maitiu show on the road.

With just four days to go before the opening of the 80th Feis, Cork School of Music teacher Gerry Kelly said it was important the massive event continues to get State recognition.

Up to 15,000 performers, from school children to adults, will take part in this year’s nine-week celebration of music, dance, speech and drama.

“It’s a small sum of money we’re talking about here to keep something huge going,” Mr Kelly said.

“If we went out onto St Patrick’s Street busking, we’d collect the money in two days but it’s important the event get State recognition. If organisers have to increase the entry fee then it will defeat the whole purpose of the event.”

The Feis had been funded since 1999 by National Lottery funds distributed by the Department of Education and Science.

However, the grant was axed last year following a review of departmental spending.

The department turned down two appeals of its decision from Feis organisers. The Arts Council also turned down funding requests last week.

Feis administrator Timothy McCarthy said the uncertainty about the grant is affecting his ability to plan for next year’s event.

“We need to book adjudicators up to two years in advance and we can’t enter into contracts with them if we have this hanging over us.

“We need to be focusing on our current festival rather than trying to resolve this at the moment.

“It’s not good for morale. We have a difficult enough job organising all of the performers and everything that goes with that. But the job is made more difficult if we’re not sure of the continuance of our funding.”

Fourteen adult choirs will perform on opening night. And two choirs from Kylemore Abbey in Connemara will perform later in the competition.

Meanwhile, Green TD Dan Boyle said he was disappointment with the Arts Council grants to Cork organisations announced last week.

While the Triskel Arts Centre celebrated a 16.3% increase in its annual arts funding, Cork Opera House got no increase.

“It seems that the Arts Council are not permitting organisations to build upon successful programmes offered during Cork’s term as European Capital of Culture,” he said.