Irish people regard the arts as an important part of society, with a majority attending performances and other arts events regularly and many participating in artistic and creative activities themselves, new research reveals.
The survey, The Arts in Irish Life commissioned by the Arts Council and carried out by Kantar Media TGI, also shows that arts attendance in the Republic has increased over the past 12 months, and is now 9 percent higher than in the North, and 13 percent higher than in Britain.
Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride said: “This report confirms that in spite of all the challenges that we may face in our daily lives we remain a creative people and we place a very high value on the arts. Some of the findings also highlight areas for development, and these will encourage us in the Arts Council to continue our work to reach more people with the arts in 2015.”
The Arts Council said it had contributed to the increase in the number of people attending arts events through its Arts Audiences initiative. Arts Audiences worked with more than 200 arts organisations in 2014 and trained arts workers extensively in digital marketing, touring marketing, mentoring and coaching, and strategic audience development for major venues and festivals.