CMAT, The Scratch, and Moncrieff to receive touring supports from Culture Ireland’s €825,000 fund for promotion of Irish arts globally

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin has announced funding of over €825,000 for the promotion of Irish arts globally through Culture Ireland’s Regular Grants Programme.

The funding will be allocated across a series of sectors, including circus, dance, film, literature, music, opera, theatre and the visual arts.

The €825,000 kitty will also allocate funding to Irish musicians touring internationally including CMAT and The Scratch on respective tours.

The funding for touring supports across North America will include artists such as Dervish, Niall McCabe, JigJam, Ryan Mack, Gerry O’Connor and Breaking Trad from February to April 2024.

Musicians will also receive supports to perform at the Music City Irish Fest, Nashville, USA in March 2024.

There will also be European tour supports for Irish music artists including Moncrieff, Aoife Scott, Le Boom, Lifts, Fiárock, The John McSherry Trio and Mark Hennessey on their tours from February - April 2024.

Funding has also been allocated for the North American tour of If These Wigs Could Talk performed by Panti Bliss and presented by THISISPOPBABY.

Ceol Connected and Fidget Feet got funding approved for presenting When the Moon Spun Round at Opening Doors Festival, Aberystwyth, Wales

Announcing the awards, Minister Martin said:

“It gives me great pleasure to announce this round of Culture Ireland funding. These projects will generate new opportunities and audiences for Irish artists and showcase the rich and diverse offering of Irish arts globally.”

Some of the 149 projects include:

• Touring supports for artists such as Dervish, Niall McCabe, The Scratch, JigJam, CMAT, Ryan Mack, Gerry O’Connor and Breaking Trad across the USA and Canada (February - April 2024)
• European tour supports for Irish music artists including Moncrieff, Aoife Scott, Le Boom, Lifts, Fiárock, The John McSherry Trio and Mark Hennessey (February - April 2024)
• Ceol Connected and Fidget Feet presenting When the Moon Spun Round at Opening Doors Festival, Aberystwyth, Wales (March 2024)
• Presentation of Mosh by Rachel Ní Bhraonáin at Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Britain (May 2024)
• North American tour of If These Wigs Could Talk performed by Panti Bliss and presented by THISISPOPBABY (June - July 2024)
• Support towards the presentation of Waiting for Godot by Gare St Lazare at the Geffen theatre, Los Angeles, USA (October – December 2024)
• Chamber Choir Ireland at the Arvo Pärt Centre, Tallinn, Estonia (May 2024)
• Irish artists at the Music City Irish Fest, Nashville, USA (March 2024)
• Screenings of Irish films at festivals including St Patrick’s Film Festival, London, Britain (March 2024), Chicago Irish Film Festival, USA (March 2024) and IrishFilmFesta, Rome, Italy (April 2024)
• Irish artists participating in the Beckett Unbound Festival, Liverpool, Britain (May – June 2024)
• Irish National Opera presenting L'Olimpiade at the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House, London, Britain and Théâtre Equilibre, Switzerland (May - June 2024)
• Support for galleries and artists to participate at international art fairs including the Supermarket Art Fair Stockholm, Sweden (April 2024) and Art Basel, Hong Kong (March 2024)
• Irish writers participating at international literary festivals including Sydney Writers’ Festival, Australia (May 2024), Auckland Writers’ Festival, New Zealand (May 2024), Svet knihy Praha, Czech Republic (May 2024) and Jaipur Literary Festival, India (February 2024)