Four Carlow art groups receive €842,000 in funding
Pictured at Spraoi Studio's, Waterford City. Pictured is Cessair Edith Chukwu. Photograph: Patrick Browne
FOUR organisations in Co Carlow have received a total of €842,000 in Arts Council of Ireland development funding for 2026.
The four organisations are United Fall Dance Company, which received €245,000; Carlow Arts Festival, which received €235,000; the Visual Centre for Contemporary Art and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre, which received €257,000; and Carlow Co Council, which received €105,000.
The same organisations were awarded funding this year as in last year’s budget.
Carlow County Council received the same amount of funding as last year, funding for the Visual centre increased by €2,000 and funding decreased for Carlow Arts Festival and United Fall Dance Company. Funding for Carlow Arts Festival was down by €27,000 and funding for United Fall Dance Company was cut by the arts council by €5,000. The overall grants budget increased from €68 million last year to €72 million this year.
This budget represents more than half of the Arts Council’s annual investiture but there will be further rounds of funding that organisations in Carlow can apply for.
Funds allocated elsewhere in this budget to national organisations like Arts and Disability Ireland, Children Books Ireland and Dance Ireland could also benefit arts organisations in Carlow.
The arts council will make further announcements in due course about how additional funding for disability access to promote more inclusive participation in the arts will be distributed.
