SOME of Dublin’s best-loved festivals have been awarded funding in a bid to support tourism into the country.
The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, announced a total in €2,964,500 in Fáilte Ireland funding to enhance and promote 40 festivals nationwide and to develop new festivals and events across the country.
Among the popular Dublin events receiving funding under the programme are Tradfest (€65,000), the St Patrick’s Festival (€950,000), Bloomsday (€9,500), the Dublin Horse Show (€95,000), the Dublin Fringe Festival (€35,000) and Dublin Theatre Festival (€45,000).
Minister Griffin pointed out that festivals and events are critical for tourism growth as they specifically attract more than 200,000 overseas visitors to Ireland and contribute €108million to the economy every year.
The allocation of funding will be used to enhance existing festivals, develop new festival ideas and support St Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country.
Fáilte Ireland, as the National Tourism Development Authority, identified festivals as a key component for tourism growth, particularly during off-season times in its plans for 2019.
Recognising the role festivals play in growing international visitor numbers, Fáilte Ireland said they ensured every county in Ireland could benefit from last week’s announcement.
The overall funding includes €570,000 provided to local authorities under its ‘Regional Festivals and Participative Events Programme’ which will be used to support more than 250 festivals across the country.
Applications for the Regional Festivals and Participative Events Programme are ongoing through the various local authorities.
“With many challenges on the horizon for tourism, it is hoped that this announcement will be considered a welcome start to 2019,” Minister Griffin said.