Ireland announces fund for grassroots Venues

The Irish government has launched a €500,000 funding initiative to support grassroots music venues as part of the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme. Announced by Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture, and Sport Patrick O’Donovan (pictured), the scheme offers grants ranging from €5,000 to €15,000 to help venues cover the cost of live music programming. Only venues with a capacity of 500 or fewer, and a history of regularly hosting original live music, are eligible. O’Donovan emphasised the importance of grassroots venues in nurturing emerging artists, noting that many major acts began their careers in small music spaces. The scheme aims to strengthen Ireland’s nighttime economy by expanding cultural offerings and providing employment opportunities in the live music sector. Applications are now open and will close on May 15 or when funds are exhausted.