After failed attempts at communication in February, the Irish Artists Union wrote a strong letter to the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, followed by a petition to secure robust funding structures for Irish artists.  

Last Thursday Patrick O’Donnovan – Minister of Arts and Culture – received a letter by the Artists union of Ireland called Praxis calling for more financial support and reinforcing their position in the Irish economy. The letter was titled “Minister O’Donovan: protect the future of artists and arts workers”.  

The letter directly addressed Irish Artists’ need for adequate funding structures and reaffirmed the roles they play in moulding Irish culture. The union also addressed the failed delivery of a much-needed improvement to the Art Council’s IT infrastructure – where artists can request funding. 

According to the letter, the mismanagement of the IT revitalisation meant that not only did resources get wasted, artists who request funding have to deal with an outdated and sluggish user experience.  

The update was kickstarted in 2019 by the Arts council with the help of an outside contractor designed to streamline the funding applications. In their 2023 report, council chair Maura McGrath said she was “deeply concerned” at the lack of completion which cost the Irish Exchequer 5.3 million Euro.  

The IT update currently lies dormant, but the Arts Council remains “committed to finding an alternative solution”. Additionally, the report reassured artists by mentioning that “90% of our €143m expenditure directly supported artists and the public”.  

Concerns were raised in the letter about the need for a resilient outlook tackling artist’s concern the minister might use this failed IT update as an excuse to lower the Art’s Council’s funding.   

Cóilín O’Connell, the communications officer at Praxis said that they had “a very positive reaction 
to the petition so far” with similar organisations throwing their weight behind the petition such as the National Campaign for the Arts, Irish Theatre Institute, Irish Street Acts Circus & Spectacle Network and Poetry Ireland. 

“One of our main priorities as a trade union for artists is ensuring that artists are adequately paid for their labour,” said O’Connell. 

“The arts council is one of the primary providers of income for artists in Ireland, so it is vital that their funding is not affected by the recent IT issues that occurred.”  

 Georgie Lynch has worked in the art’s sector for her whole adult life, running festivals such as “The next big thing” and organising gigs for the Workman’s club. She was denied funding from the Arts Council to organise her own festival in 2023.  

“The arts world can feel like a secret members club sometimes,” she said. 

“When your event is not landing in Forbes magazine or gets major sponsors, the journey for funding can be a long one.” 

“How can we trust the minister and the council to oversee the IT project and possibly believe that they want to sustain smaller artists with new venues or at least prevent existing venues from closing,” she said. 

Indeed, Farrier & Draper, an upmarket venue hosting parties every weekend, was liquidated last week and stands closed for the moment.  

Lynch questioned the support for artists which are not backed up by corporations or “made it already” and hopes that this petition will put the smaller Irish artist, like herself, back on the map. 

It has yet to be specified how the Arts Council are planning on accelerating their IT reboot and Praxis have yet to get a response from Minister O’Donovan.