The Creative Ireland Programme is a culture-based, all-of-Government programme led by my department to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. Its core proposition is that participation in arts, cultural and heritage-based activities drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement.
Under the Creative Communities initiative in the Creative Ireland Programme, my department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provide funding to each of the 31 Local Authorities to enable them to implement their individual Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022. These Strategies were developed in 2017 following extensive local public consultation and are unique to each local authority, reflecting the breadth of cultural and creative work being undertaken in each area as well as the strategic priorities identified by the local community. Highly innovative, multi-disciplinary Culture and Creativity Teams in every Local Authority support and drive the relevant, locally-agreed, strategic priorities and projects.
Furthermore, since 2018 my Department has also provided each local authority with additional funding to support the delivery of Cruinniú na nÓg - the national day of free creativity for children and young people under 18 years of age. While it is a key initiative of the Creative Youth Plan, the 31 Local Authority Culture and Creativity Teams have been key to its nationwide delivery.
The number of events and initiatives organised by county as part of the Creative Ireland Creative Communities strand (and Cruinniú na nÓg) is listed in Table 1 below; programming by the 31 local authorities is currently underway for 2022.
In 2021, a strategic review of the Creative Communities initiative led by the Creative Ireland Programme and the County and City Management Association was published. It examined the effectiveness to date in embedding creativity within public policy at local level, and in deploying creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion and economic development. While broadly positive in its findings, the review also explored how delivery in collaboration with the 31 local authorities could be optimised in the future. These recommendations continue to be implemented as the initiative looks towards the period 2023-2027.
Table 1
Local Authority
|
Creative Communities
2018-2021 (inclusive)
|
Cruinniú na nÓg
2018-2021 (inclusive)
|
Carlow
|
117
|
41
|
Cavan
|
164
|
49
|
Clare
|
157
|
91
|
Cork
|
|
|
- Cork City
|
71
|
82
|
- Cork County
|
119
|
74
|
Donegal
|
146
|
81
|
Dublin
|
|
|
- Dublin City
|
75
|
179
|
- Dún Laoghaire Rathdown
|
93
|
92
|
- Fingal
|
76
|
70
|
- South County Dublin
|
93
|
141
|
Galway
|
|
|
- Galway City
|
88
|
43
|
- Galway County
|
87
|
64
|
Kerry
|
106
|
71
|
Kildare
|
152
|
58
|
Kilkenny
|
76
|
23
|
Laois
|
85
|
37
|
Leitrim
|
125
|
71
|
Limerick
|
188
|
40
|
Longford
|
181
|
54
|
Louth
|
93
|
30
|
Mayo
|
110
|
52
|
Meath
|
102
|
68
|
Monaghan
|
75
|
49
|
Offaly
|
137
|
110
|
Roscommon
|
118
|
58
|
Sligo
|
113
|
59
|
Tipperary
|
137
|
50
|
Waterford
|
179
|
89
|
Westmeath
|
167
|
84
|
Wexford
|
83
|
87
|
Wicklow
|
48
|
80
|