€5m announced for concerts, exhibitions and talks celebrating Ireland's EU Presidency

The government has announced €5m in funding for a series of arts events to celebrate Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Cultúr 2026: Sharing Ireland’s Culture, the programme for the presidency, will hold a number of concerts, exhibitions and talks celebrating Irish language and culture.

The events will take place in Ireland and across all 27 EU member states, running from July 1 to December 31.

Three new commissions will be presented in Brussels: An art installation by Irish artist Richard Malone at the Justus Lipsius building, an opening concert at Flagey, an arts venue in Brussels and an exhibition presented by Literature Ireland in the European Parliament building.

Those three projects will be followed by a programme of Irish arts at the Centre Culturel d’Irlandais, Paris and a presentation of Cotter & Naessens Architects’ Venice Biennale exhibition, Assembly, at Busáras in Dublin.

The funding was announced by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

“I am delighted to announce Ireland’s culture programme for the Presidency,” said Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan.

“This programme will see an expansion of cultural activity in every county in the country and will raise the profile of Irish artists throughout Europe. This is a great moment to celebrate Irish culture, and I am proud that the benefits of this programme will reach audiences across Ireland.”

Further information on the programme can be found at https://www.irelandculture2026.eu/