Arts funding hits €850k amid calls for boost to 'underrepresented' North West Dublin
While Dublin City Council has approved €850,000 in arts grants, councillors are calling for increased investment to nurture local talent and drive application growth in underrepresented areas like the North West.
At Monday’s January monthly council meeting, Community, Gaeilge, Sport, Arts & Culture SPC Chairperson Cllr Darragh Moriarty highlighted the €700,000 awarded in grants and bursaries to 83 successful applicants for 2026. A further €150,000 will also be awarded in May for community arts grants.
These funds include: €150,000 toward artists, arts organisations and collectives to mount specific projects such as plays, exhibitions, and concerts. Voluntary and neighbourhood grants of €100,000. Revenue grants of €350,000 to established arts organisations. As well as 23 bursaries awarded €100,000 across eight categories.
With a staggering 85% increase in arts applications, Cllr Moriarty said extra funding should be made available in future years as the demand from total applications reached €2.8 million. “We’re sitting at the first council meeting of 2026 and I’m already asking for more money for the 2027 budget,” he joked.
Cllr Moriarty suggested that the council set aside €50,000 in extra funds each year between now and the end of the council term to bring the available funding up to €1 million. Others suggested this does not go far enough, as the value that recipients deliver in vital arts programmes far outpaces the cost.
Cllr Donna Cooney called for an "ambitious" funding increase to bring things up to €1.3 million, which would amount to just over “€1 for per head” of Dublin ’s population. Cllr Declan Flanagan said that even a budget of €1.5 million is only a tiny fraction of the council’s over €1 billion euro budget.
While Cllr Moriarty praised the high quality of the 362 applications received, he said there are parts of the city that are still underrepresented. “It’s clear that there are pockets of the city and parts of the city where we’re not seeing the same level of applications as we are in other parts,” he said.
Assistant Chief Executive Eileen Quinlivan explained that there has been an active development approach to focus on areas “with low levels of arts activity.” Measures such as the Area Office collaborating with artists in the North West and North Central areas has seen an increase in applications from these parts of the city in recent years.
Cllr Moriarty said there were more applications last year from areas that “would have traditionally not applied,” but with only one successful North West applicant those areas “not yet seeing the benefit” of the funding.
There is a need to address this disparity through developmental work according to Cllr Conor Reddy. He said underrepresented areas should be helped to be put in a position where they can be competitive for these grants “so there’s not a part of the city left behind when it comes to art and culture.”
This funding was praised by Cllr Janet Horner, but she wished to highlight the irony of The Complex being awarded €15,000 the same week it faced eviction from its inner city arts space . She said she hopes the funding acts as an indication that every effort will be made to retain the space and address the “the desperate need for premises for artists in the city.”
Cllr Daithi Doolan stressed that funding initiatives like this not only provided an incredible community service through free local festivals, but also make the city safer and they go a long way toward addressing crime and anti-social behaviour among young people. He said this funding ensures projects that encourage people to participate in their community and show leadership are able to thrive.
“Some of our communities get the crumbs off the table from the central government and the seed funding for many of the events in our communities come from this model of funding,” he said. “Look at Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard, Bluebell, the funding going into those places is very low but has a hugely positive impact on the quality of life in our communities.”
Similarly, Cllr Mannix Flynn said the arts in Dublin city would be “dead as doornail” if not for the funding provided by the council. “They’ve come to rescue many times, there’s small amounts of money given to many groups but spread out it's worth tens of millions of euro,” he said.
"There is a peculiar policy of exclusion in terms of class divide and those who can source the arts and those subject to what's known as ‘arts outreach.’ It’s important to have arts facilities like in Ballymun in every community and keep children involved in sports and arts. Art should be in every block of flats, housing estate, and apartment,” he said.
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