Two Longford festivals receive almost €30,000 under the Arts Council’s Festival Investment Scheme

The Arts Council is pleased to announce an investment of €14.7 million in support of 208 arts festivals taking place throughout Ireland in 2025.  This significant funding commitment reflects the Council’s ongoing dedication to enriching cultural life across the country and supporting artistic expression in all its forms. 

The €14.7 million allocated in 2025 represents the Arts Council’s largest ever investment in festivals.  This increase reflects not only the growing demand and appetite for arts experiences across Ireland, but also the ongoing development of the festival sector.  The funding supports both long-established festivals and emerging events, ensuring space for artistic risk-taking, organisational development, and deeper engagement with communities. 

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Longford's Granard Booktown Festival, which takes place on April 11 to 13 will receive €13,000.00. The Longford Lights Festival will receive €16,537.00, which takes place on February 20-23.

Notably, approximately 80% of programming across the supported festivals is free to attend, making these events accessible to a wide audience and particularly welcoming to families.  Collectively, these festivals are expected to reach nearly two million people throughout the year, underscoring their critical role in Ireland’s celebrated year-round cultural offering. 

The Arts Council is encouraging audiences across the country to connect with events that resonate with their passions and interests.  Whether it is literature, visual arts, wellbeing, traditional music, or contemporary performance, the diversity of the festival offering means there is truly something for everyone.  Festivals are a chance to experience the arts in unexpected and exciting ways—on streets, in fields, town halls, beaches, libraries and more—inviting audiences to step outside of the everyday and immerse themselves in creativity. 

As Ireland enters the height of the festival season, communities and visitors alike will be able to enjoy a rich and diverse array of events, ranging from internationally recognised festivals such as the Galway International Arts Festival and the Dublin International Literary Festival, to locally distinctive and thematically focused festivals including Miselor, Festival of Nomadic Cultures (Galway, September 25 to 28), Hearsay International Audio Festival (Limerick, September), and Chamber Music on Valentia (Kerry, August 14 to 17). 

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Commenting on the announcement, Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: “We are proud to support the presentation of arts festivals in Ireland over many decades. Many of these festivals are voluntary led by people who are passionate about the arts and about their places, and they make a huge contribution to life in Ireland. Most are also supported by their local authorities who recognise their many layers of value to the vibrancy of places and this partnership approach is vital to their sustainability.  Festival directors and their teams work tirelessly to present innovative programmes for their place and community year after year and it is an honour for us to support them.” 

In addition to their artistic significance, festivals serve as dynamic catalysts for positive change in their communities. They often contribute to the regeneration of spaces, influence local planning and policy, enhance community wellbeing, and foster active volunteerism.  The economic impact of the festival sector is also considerable. Festivals provide employment opportunities for artists, technicians, and creative professionals, draw both domestic and international visitors, and contribute meaningfully to the local economy. 

A number of funded festivals continue to bring internationally acclaimed artists and performances to Irish audiences, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and presenting Irish audiences with work of global significance.  Through these programmes, Irish audiences have the opportunity to experience a broad spectrum of voices, perspectives, and artforms from around the world. 

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This year’s programme also includes a number of newly funded festivals that bring fresh perspectives and unique arts experiences to audiences in distinctive settings. These include the Salthill Folk and Film Festival (Co. Sligo, 30 August), Field Exchange Environmental and Arts Festival (Tipperary, September), and the West Cork Feel Good Arts and Mental Health Festival (Cork, 1–31 October).