Funding of €175,161 has been announced for Creative Ireland initiatives in Donegal.
The funding will enable Donegal County Council to deliver community-led creative projects along with the flagship Cruinniú na nÓg – the national day of free creativity for children and young people that takes place in June.
This funding is part of a €6.6 million investment in local authorities throughout the country that will support creative projects that will connect people, creativity and wellbeing in 2022. The Creative Ireland Programme is committed to the vision that every person in their community should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential.
During 2021 in Donegal, the Creative Ireland Culture and Creativity Team delivered 70 projects including Colmcille 1500 and YARNS.
Colmcille 1500 was a year-long commemoration which marked the 1500th anniversary of the birth of St. Colmcille. The programme of events recognised the importance and legacy of the 6th-century saint, not only for his birth place of Donegal and the first monastery founded in Derry – but for the island of Ireland, Scotland and across the world.
YARNS was a series of short films featuring songs, stories, and reminiscences from five creative older people in Donegal. Directed by filmmaker Charlie Joe Doherty and folklorist Jamie McGarrigle, YARNS features interviews with an eclectic group of older creatives from across the county, and explores their passions for visual art, music, poetry and heritage. The films premiered in October and were followed by an online storytelling workshop by storyteller and facilitator Joe Brennan. The films feature Eamonn Monaghan, Peadar Ó Baoill, Heidi Nguyen, Billy Robinson and Martin McGinley.
Today’s funding allocation was announced by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’ Brien TD.
