30 January 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork County Council has announced new funding opportunities for creative projects in towns, villages and rural locations. It is part of efforts to support performers and bring live events to communities right across the County of Cork.
The Council is administering three government funded schemes that aim to support artists, performers and community groups. Applications are now open for the Creative County Cork Grants Scheme, Cruinniú na nÓg and the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan welcomed the funding, she said, “I hope that musicians, artists, performers and community groups in County Cork will make full use of the funding that is available. There is huge scope for imagination and creativity. The last two years have been extremely challenging for the live performance industry, but we also saw huge resilience. It was wonderful to see so many outdoor performances on beaches, parks and town centres last summer and I hope that can be replicated and expanded upon in the near future.”
As part of the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme, Cork County Council hopes to host another series of outdoor events in towns and other locations from April 1st to June 30th 2022. It is seeking expressions of interest from performing artists including ensembles, bands or individuals as well as promoters, producers, venues and festival organisations.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey added, “The Local Live Performance Programming Scheme provided support to over 650 professional performing artists, event producers and ancillary production personnel in County Cork last year. It also helped deliver more than 180 events that animated our towns, villages and rural locations, reaching an audience of at least 15,000 people. We want to support collaboration between artists, festivals, community groups, arts and heritage organisations as well as local businesses. The three grant schemes will help us to achieve this as we all work together to make County Cork as vibrant as possible.”
The Creative County Cork Grants Scheme is aimed at developing and delivering innovative projects, events and initiatives to help stimulate and enable creativity in every community. It is open to not-for-profit groups, organisations or collectives. The scheme is funded by Creative Ireland, a national five-year programme which connects people, creativity and wellbeing.
Funding is also available to run events for children and young people as part of Cruinniú na nÓg, a national day to celebrate and encourage participation in creative activities. This year, Cruinniú na nÓg will take place on Saturday, June 11th. Cork County Council is looking for projects that will allow young people to be inquisitive, inventive, try a new creative skill or showcase a special creative talent.
Further details can be found on Cork County Council’s online portal at www.yourcouncil.ie or 021 4285995 or arts@corkcoco.ie
