COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTON/NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

QUESTION NO. 31

QUESTION: Councillor Shane Moynihan

To ask the Chief Executive as to what support is being made available to Arts groups and projects during the period of COVID restrictions.

REPLY:

"Under the Creative Ireland South Dublin programme, 37 bursary awards were made available to artists and creatives to engage with new technologies and capacity building as projects and workshops moved online,  to provide a high quality service to audiences and participants. Participants from a number of Arts and Disability projects  undertook training as part of the bursary. Awards were made for the development of resources for schools, for elderly people in home share, for setting up new networks for artists to develop new creative platforms both online and offline. Most recently the Council delivered 12 Covid Care live Concerts to nursing homes across the County.

The Council is currently promoting a new national bursary, Platform 31 for artists working with community groups, delivered by Arts Officers across the country in association with the Arts Council.  A number of other bursaries are also now available for artists working with children for 0-6 years under the four Dublin Local Authorities Exploring and Thinking programme.

Music Generation South Dublin which delivers a programme of music education across the county for children and young people continues to provide music workshops to those enrolled in the Rathcoole and Collinstown music hubs. There are plans for the expansion of the programme in partnership with Foroige into the Youth Cafes in the county. In 2021, we hope to see a return to the access programme in 29 of the counties schools. Music Generation South Dublin will shortly begin online music for toddlers and parents in association with the Library services.

South Dublin County Council has continued to provide support to Rua Red Arts Centre, Tallaght Community Arts, Alternative Entertainments and the Civic Theatre through annual contribution, who deliver many outreach projects across the county. Other project funding was made available for Culture Night and and Unwrapped Winter Festival 2020.

The Arts grants programme for Amateur, Voluntary and Community organisations and projects remains open for applications in 2020 and a budget has been approved for this by Countil for 2021. The Arts Council is currently preparing a scheme in association with the Local Authority Arts Officers that will support the Amateur Drama and Music Society sectors in the country. The scheme will be promoted to organisations in South Dublin County".