Minister Josepha Madigan announces €1.2 billion for culture, heritage and language infrastructure

Project Ireland 2040
Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018 – 2027 is a ten year plan setting out the Government's commitment for capital investment of almost €1.2 billion in Ireland’s culture, language and heritage. This will include:

- €460 million for our National Cultural Institutions.

- €265 million for cultural and creativity investment programme.

- €285 million for natural and built heritage.

- €178 million for the Gaeltacht, the Irish language and the Islands.

Minister Madigan was joined at a special forum to launch the plan by Leo Varadkar, Minister for Finance & Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, and Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Joe McHugh T.D.

Priority projects under the National Cultural Institutions Investment Programme of €460 million are:

- National Library of Ireland renovation;

- National Archives of Ireland renovation;

- National Museum of Ireland masterplan redevelopment;

- National Concert Hall renovation;

- Crawford Art Gallery redevelopment;

- National Theatre redevelopment;

- Irish Museum of Modern Art renovation;

- National Gallery of Ireland – further phases of the masterplan redevelopment;

- Chester Beatty Library improvements.

A Cultural and Creativity investment programme comprising €265 million will be closely aligned with the cultural infrastructure, creative communities and creative industries pillars of the Creative Ireland Programme.

· €200 million will be invested in our vibrant media production and audio visual industries which will have a positive impact right across the country

· A €40 million programme of investing in cultural infrastructure across all regions will see support for the maintenance and development of regional arts centres, theatres, regional museums, galleries, archives, multi-use facilities, artist studios etc.

· A €10 million national digitisation investment programme will see national collections digitised over the course of the plan supporting the conservation, preservation and dissemination of the national collections;

· Galway as EU Capital of Culture will receive €15 million funding for its cultural programme under the Plan.

Priority Projects – Under the €285m Heritage Programme

· €50 million programme of investment for our national parks and reserves right across the country to deliver a world class visitor experience for the 4 million people that visit the Parks annually.

Investing €85 million in our historic environment. This will include initiatives to revitalise the historic cores of urban centres, restoration of the Ulster Canal and inland waterways, maintain and protect heritage assets like Valentia Island Cable Station, and investments to improve public access to and restoring historic buildings to use;
Investment programme of €60 million in our national Built Heritage. Investments in protecting and conserving built heritage including National Monuments through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund will be delivered under this strand.

Priority projects under the €178m Plan for investing in the Gaeltacht, the Irish language and the islands are:

Invest €33 million in actions to support the Gaeltacht Language Planning Process.
Invest €105 million in Gaeltacht areas through Údarás na Gaeltachta. This will include an increase in Údarás na Gaeltachta’s annual Exchequer capital allocation to €12 million, thus creating 1,000 jobs annually and facilitating the upgrade of Údarás na Gaeltachta’s property portfolio;
€13 million to support Irish Language Networks and Gaeltacht Service Towns through the development of language and culture hubs across the country with a flagship centre to support Irish language speakers in Dublin;
€27 million to improve marine infrastructure for Inis Oírr, Inis Meáin and Oileán Thoraí.