Irish arts sector faces 7% cuts

The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is to deal with a 7% reduction in funding, significantly cutting Culture Ireland – the agency responsible for promoting Irish arts abroad – by 20%, and the National Concert Hall by 8.5%. The Arts Council’s budget is being cut from €59.9m to €56m, having been reduced by more than one third since 2008. The National Campaign for the Arts said it was “appalled” by the substantial, shortsighted cut to the arts.