Live Venue Collective on Budget 2027: "We will need more meaningful supports in order to continue to survive"

Ahead of the unveiling of Budget 2027 next month, the Live Venue Collective – made up of small and medium independent Irish music venues – have urged the Government "not to ignore our vitally important independent and grassroots cultural spaces."

In a statement shared to social media, the collective acknowledged the support shown this year by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, through the 2026 Grassroots Venues Support Scheme. Over €1 million in funding was provided through the scheme, supporting 60 venues across the country, including Whelan’s, Levis' Corner House, Arthur’s, The Grand Social, Coughlan's, Cyprus Avenue and the Róisín Dubh.

"This scheme has been a crucial life raft to help keep us afloat in this worsening economic climate," the Live Venue Collective have remarked. "However we will need more meaningful supports in order to continue to survive.

"We implore the wider Government," they continued, tagging Jack Chambers, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris, "to show their support for all the independent grassroots venues across the country that are actively nurturing the artists, promoters, technical crews and superstars of tomorrow while serving as vital hubs of connection and culture across our communities.

"We will need more resources allocated to Minister O'Donovan in the upcoming budget if we’re to save our stages in these increasingly challenging times ahead."

The Live Venue Collective was established in the summer of 2020, as "a rallying cry for Ireland’s small to medium-sized independent music venues, while the Covid-19 pandemic wrought devastation on lives and businesses around the country," the group have previously stated.

 

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