€175,161 for Creative Ireland local authority projects in Mayo

A FUNDING allocation of €175,161 for the implementation of Creative Ireland initiatives in Mayo in 2022 has been announced.

Since the Creative Ireland Programme was launched in 2017, it has received investment of €21 million from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This has enabled local authorities to deliver over 5,700 community-led creative projects to support their respective Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022 along with the flagship Cruinniú na nÓg - the national day of free creativity for children and young people that takes place in June.

This funding is part of a €6.6 million investment in local authorities throughout the country that will support creative projects that will connect people, creativity and wellbeing in 2022.

During 2021 in Mayo, the Creative Ireland Culture and Creativity Team delivered 46 projects, including:

To mark Mayo Day, TG4 broadcast a one-hour special Ár bPobal - Our People to celebrate all things Mayo. The programme featured the best of Mayo’s innovation and creativity and showcased the extraordinary beauty of the county. Guest appearances included contributions from the Mayo diaspora including aeronautical engineer Norah Patten, Andrew Walsh, a chef who runs three restaurants in Singapore, Dr. Lisa Ní Chuinneagáin, a flight doctor located in the UK, and Mary O’Halloran from New York. There were also musical performances from Matt Molloy of The Chieftains, Laoise Kelly, Billow Wood, Chantelle Padden, Lisa Canny, Emer Mayock, Tom Doherty and family and more.

The Hearth project brought art into the homes of older people in Mayo who were either isolated geographically or by the restrictions of Covid. Artists visited the older people weekly for one-to-one workshop either in their home or alternatively online/ by phone or a blended approach.

This wonderful project served to develop the creativity of the older people involved and break the isolation that they were experiencing due to health restrictions.

Said Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin: “I am very pleased to continue to support the excellent work undertaken by local authorities on behalf of the Creative Ireland programme.

“Every Creative Ireland project delivered by our local authority teams harnesses the creative potential of our people and their communities. Their work is the cornerstone of the Creative Ireland Programme and brings together local expertise in arts, heritage, libraries, enterprise and community engagement in a meaningful and inspired way.

“As we emerge from the last two years, I know that they will once again deliver creative programmes that can build resilience, foster personal confidence and sustain their communities.”

For an overview of Creative Ireland projects in Mayo, go to https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/mayo/.