The Chair of the Arts Council, Ms Olive Braiden, has said this year’s bad summer weather highlights the need for Ireland to invest in major arts and cultural renewal projects. This autumn the Arts Council will be asking the Government to provide it with an extra €20 million funding for the arts next year to enable a focus on the development of a number of key areas, including more performance opportunities in the new regional arts centres dotted around the country and to extend a Touring Programme to allow arts organisations to bring shows to venues in Dublin and around the country.

"The weather has emphasised the necessity for much more investment in arts and cultural projects. The Arts Council strongly supports the Chairman of Failte Ireland, Gillian Bowler’s comments in a recent report on the tourism product development strategy that it is necessary for Ireland to invest for success in tourism, and that our competitors in Northern Europe have redoubled their investments in tourism and recreation," Ms Braiden said.

http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/media.aspx?article=57a91867-b6af-44ce-82b3-ad0be3a2fe66