Ireland’s traditional arts community has been allocated funding to the value of €3 million in 2006, representing a four-fold increase on the level of funding in 2005. The funding was announced in conjunction with the Arts Council’s decision to implement a new three-year initiative for the traditional arts. The aims of the initiative are to empower the traditional arts community to develop and sustain its activities, as well as the investment of significant funding and a new level of engagement with the community by the Arts Council. Announcing the new initiative, Ms Olive Braiden, Chair of the Arts Council, said the traditional arts are a unique and valuable expression of Irish culture. “We want to integrate the traditional arts into the central structures, systems and philosophy of the Arts Council’s activities in ways that are fully cognisant of the integrity and dynamics of the traditional arts,” she said. The 3-year initiative, which is a key pillar of the Council’s new policy on the traditional arts, follows the appointment in March of the Council’s traditional arts specialist, Liz Doherty, and the recommendations made in the Council’s document, Towards a Policy for the Traditional Arts. The traditional arts are defined as comprising traditional music, song and dance, and oral arts such as storytelling and agallamh beirte. Liz Doherty said the funding would be used to consolidate a basic infrastructure for the traditional arts, artists and arts practice, as well as developing new funding initiatives and encouraging proposals from individuals, bands and organisations. “Immediacy of response and a streamlined, simple application process will be key components of the funding initiatives,” she said. She added that the 3-year initiative will have as its core values:

Respect for the integrity of the traditional arts and artists.

Standards of excellence as understood by the traditional arts community.

Recognition of the value of the key players already working to the benefit of the artist and arts practice.

Understanding of transmission (the passing on of such tangibles as style and repertoire, along with the intangibles of the integrity of the tradition) as a central element within arts practice.

Recognition of traditional arts as having an important contribution to make to contemporary life in Ireland. For further information, CLICK HERE