UK and Ireland commit to cultural collaboration deal

Leading cultural institutions in the UK and Ireland will work together on programming, research and policy as part of efforts to forge closer ties between the countries.

A joint statement issued last week by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Micheál Martin outlines a range of areas in which the countries will co-operate over the next five years to 2030 including “developing the deep ties between our people and cultures”.

“We recognise the unique ability of arts, culture and sport to forge and foster ties between people across these islands,” the statement reads.

“We value the extraordinary influence and contribution of British and Irish cultures and heritages to the artistic and cultural wealth of the public realm and creative industries and institutions in both our countries.

“In recognition of this, today, we agree to establish a strategic partnership to deepen and amplify co-operation between our leading cultural institutions and to support wider public engagement with the contemporary culture and heritage of both our countries.

“Over the coming five years, this will comprise a range of measures to support collaborations in programming, professional exchange, research and policy, and an annual joint meeting of our leading cultural institutions each autumn.”

Following the statement, Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said a fund has been established to support new collaborative cross-border performance, production, and cultural exhibitions.

“Arts and Culture are among the most powerful ways in which we encounter and understand each other across different communities and places, and these new programmes will help foster deeper cultural exchange and understanding across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain,” he said.