Naomi Louisa O’Connell in Irish National Opera’s Mary Motorhead. Photo: Ros Kavanagh.
Funding opportunities
Find out about opportunities to apply to our funding schemes.
Find out more – Funding opportunitiesPlease note: Our funding portal, Online Services, will be offline on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 July due to scheduled maintenance.
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Leading the development of the arts in Ireland
The Arts Council is the national government agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland.
‘I Set a Bait for the Unknown’ by Cecelia Danell. Photo: Gillian Buckle.
Ahmed Karim Tamu in ‘Mespil in the Dark’ by Pan Pan. Photo: Ros Kavanagh.
Will Flanagan in ‘The Presence of Absence’ by Alchemy Art. Photo: Marcin Lewandawski.
Paul Lynch at Write By The Sea, in Co. Wexford September 2024. Photo: Victoria Ziborova.
Funding
We invest in high-quality art and excellent arts experiences through a number of competitive schemes for individual artists and organisations.
Still from ‘The Art of Loss’ by Carmel Winters, Film Project Award 2021.
Our funding decisions
See who we’ve funded in our funding decisions database.
Find out more – Our funding decisions
‘Silicon Synapse’ by AlanJames Burns. Installation at Carnegie Library, Swords. Photo: Trevor Whelan.
Spotlights
Artists and arts organisations talk about the impact funding has had on their development.
Find out more – SpotlightsDeveloping the arts
To further the development of the arts across Ireland, we lead and collaborate on a number of flagship programmes and research initiatives, enabling us to better understand and resource the arts sector.
CoisCéim Dance Theatre’s DANCEHALL BLUES by David Bolger. Photo: Ros Kavanagh.
Artforms and arts practice areas
Discover our vision and how we implement goals for each artform area we support.
Find out more – Artforms and arts practice areas
Culture Night 2025 launch with BIIRD, Helen Steele & African Dance Centre Ireland. Photo: Andres Poveda.
Flagship programmes
Our flagship programmes create new and exciting opportunities for people to engage with the arts.
Find out more – Flagship programmes
Dublin Fringe Festival. Hive City Legacy cast. Photo Tessy Media.
Resources and toolkits
We are committed to developing capacity, sharing resources and supporting and enabling the arts sector.
Find out more – Resources and toolkitsFind arts near you
Our vision is for a country where everyone has the opportunity to create, engage with, participate in and enjoy the arts and culture, regardless of who they are or where they live and work.
‘Ciseach | An Embodied Manifesto’ by Catherine Young Dance. Photo: Patricio Cassinoni
The Arts Council Collection
We have been acquiring contemporary artwork since 1962.
Our collection, which now comprises over 1,200 artworks, tells the story of modern and contemporary Irish visual art.
Vivienne Dick | ‘Red Moon Rising’ | 2015 | HD Video
Creative Schools
Creative Schools brings to life our commitment to plan and provide for children and young people by supporting schools to embrace the creative possibilities of their community. To date, the programme has reached more than one in four schools in Ireland.
Students and creative associate collobarating on a Creative February project at St. Bernadette’s national school. Photo: Brian Cregan
Latest news
Literature
Laureate for Irish Fiction to host event in the Blasket Centre, Dunquin, with two Kerry writers as part of Dingle Literary Festival
The Arts Council is delighted to announce that Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne will host an in-conversation event in Dunquin later this month as part of Dingle Literary Festival. This event, which will take place in the Blasket Centre on Thursday 16 July from 7:30pm will be a bilingual event and features talented Kerry writers Noel O’Regan and Pádraig Ó Cíobháin in conversation with the Laureate. The discussion will focus on their writing and recent books, O’Regan’s debut novel Though the Bodies Fall (2023) and Ó Cíobháin’s short story collection De Chion Focal (2015). It will also feature a performance by local sean-nós singer Sláine Ní Chathallain.
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Aosdána
3rd Aosdána Open Forum held at The East Quad, TU Dublin
Members of Aosdána gathered in the East Quad at TU Dublin, Grangegorman for the 3rd Aosdána Open Forum on 11th June, 2026. The one-day event featured discursive panels and presentations, networking opportunities, enabling members contribute their thoughts and feedback. The first…
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Aosdána | Music
Composer and Aosdána member Jane O’Leary elected an honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music.
Jane O’Leary is the first Irish composer to be honoured as a member of the International Society for Contemporary Music, which recognises a person’s internationally remarkable achievements in the field of contemporary music. Jane was nominated for honorary membership by the Contemporary Music…
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Aosdána
Third Aosdána Open Forum to take place at The East Quad, TU Dublin
Following last year’s event in the Vernon Studio at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in April 2025, 2026 will see members gather for the Open Forum in the East Quad, at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus. This year, Aosdána members of…
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Upcoming events
Browse the latest events and book your place.
Work with us
Careers with the Arts Council
Find out about the working life within the organisation and view current job opportunities.
Announcement of dance company Luail with dancers Vitor Barboza Da Silva & Inez Berdychowska. Photo: Naoise Culhane.