Naoise Nunn: I'm an arts festival organiser — our funding  has been gutted in the name of tourism

A policy to defund arts festivals arrived with little fanfare as funding for tourism-led initiatives moved to a different government department

Naoise Nunn is a creator and producer of cultural festivals and events including MindField at Electric Picnic, above; he said the State is quietly walking away from the festivals that built the reputation of Kilkenny as a cultural tourism destination. Picture: Richard Walshe

Condé Nast named Kilkenny one of its Seven Wonders of Ireland last month, under the heading ‘Kilkenny for Culture’. 

That recognition has been built over decades by festivals, artists, and communities who turned a small medieval city into one of Ireland’s most culturally alive places.