Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Caral ni Chuilin, discussed funding cuts made to the Arts Council during today’s Question Time. The Minister described the cuts to the block grant from the British Government and the resultant financial strain on the Department. Fearghal McKinney MLA highlighted the protest against the cuts which took place outside Parliament Buildings today and expressed concern about the loss of jobs and impact on communities that the cuts will have. He asked if funding would be restored but Ms Ni Chuilin affirmed that, while it was good to see such support for the arts, “in… continue reading
Dear Minister Hundreds of people have answered the call in person to rally for the arts in Northern Ireland here today. Many thousands more have expressed their support through social media. We are alarmed and disturbed that an in-year cut has been made to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. This cut has been so large that it was inevitable the impact would land with the arts community supported by this Arms Length Body. It has resulted in loss of employment for some, job insecurity for many more and it has taken away programmes that were to be delivered working… continue reading
Conor Shields. CAPtain's Blog. Amid all the tumult and posturing and hand-wringing, the end is in sight. The Rugby World Cup Final is only a few weeks away. For sports fans, it must come as disappointment not to hear the chant of Come On You Boys In Green (COYBIG) gracing a semi-final or final. And the impact on Ulster Rugby will be deeply felt with players limping off the field, amid injuries that could see the team struggle to compete for the remainder of the year. I haven't been to Ravenhill (sorry Kingspan) for a while, but I know that… continue reading
Conor Shields. CAPtain's Blog. As this sector reels from more news about cuts now and potentially in the future, together with colleagues and friends in #ArtsMatterNI we're looking to get people onto the streets, well Prince of Wales Avenue up at Stormont at least, and register our insistence that government must invest in the arts in Northern Ireland. Do we need to spell it out again why the arts matter here? Here, of all places that has such limited manufacturing, and has seen our erstwhile heavy engineering disappear generations ago. As a post-industrial place we cannot rest on a history… continue reading
Joe Lindsay. Belfast Live When something is right, it shouldn’t have to be shouted. It can even be whispered I enjoy a noisy gathering as much as the next person, in fact I enjoy noisy gatherings more than most people if I’m honest, but there are times when it pains me that noisy gatherings have to happen to actually make people listen, when it is their job to listen and act upon what they hear. When something is right, it shouldn’t have to be shouted. It can even be whispered. Right is right, regardless of volume. Unfortunately… continue reading
Fionola Meredith. Belfast Telegraph. It happens every time there's yet another cut to spending on the arts. The philistines start cheering. This week we learned that 32 of Northern Ireland's leading arts organisations, already suffering badly, may have their funding reduced. Again. The Lyric theatre, the Mac, the Grand Opera House, the Ulster Orchestra and many others were told to plan for up to 10% in-year cuts to their budgets, which means that the cheese-parings already allocated to these groups may be diminished still further. There's barely enough in the coffers to keep a mouse alive, let alone a vibrant… continue reading
The chair of the DCAL committee has demanded a complete review of how publicly funded grants are awarded to Feile an Phobail. The DUP's Nelson McCausland claims that the West Belfast Festival is being funded by cuts to the Arts Council and that other organisations aren't being given an opportunity to apply. Mr McCausland writes about the subject in his column in today's Belfast Telegraph. Next Thursday the minister, Sinn Fein's Caral Ni Chuilin, will appear before the committee to answer questions about arts funding. Mr McCausland asks: "So why did she cut the budget to the Arts Council?" He… continue reading