€620K in funding allocated for After Hours at the Museum Grant Scheme

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., has today (29 August 2023) announced the allocation of awards of just over €620,000 to museums and galleries under the After Hours at the Museum Grant Scheme announced earlier this year.

The scheme aims to support museums and galleries to open their doors later by hosting innovative events to encourage people to enjoy a more diverse nightlife in our towns and cities across the country. The funding was offered to Museums and Galleries that are Institutional members of the Irish Museum Association and/or are a member of the Heritage Council's Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI).

Announcing the funding awards, Minister Martin said:

“I am really encouraged by the response to this scheme and the imaginative, diverse range of events which will take place right across the country as result of this initiative. I expect this will attract new audiences and give people an opportunity to attend their local museum which they may not be able to do during the day. There is something for everyone here to enjoy and I would encourage people to head out and explore and experience what is on offer at these venues. I hope that the organisations see the value in opening up their spaces later into the night to support a more vibrant night-time economy and provide opportunities for local artists and DJs.”

This funding allocation will support 51 organisations and well over 220 events spread across the country, covering poetry, film, dance, literature, music, theatre, visual arts and multidisciplinary projects. Among these, 42 Institutional members of the IMA have received allocations of funding, including:

• EPIC will host four concerts in November and December of Choir Performances and Spoken word.

• Airfield Estate in Dundrum will host a series of concerts and late evening tours.

• The Glucksman in Cork, will host five evenings of Art, Poetry, Music and DJs from Sep 28th-Oct 26th, running on Thursday evenings.

• UCD Classical Museum, in Dublin, will host six events including poetry, storytelling, art, and music until mid-November.

• Hunt Museum Limerick, running nine nights of secret events, clues will be left through their social media in the week coming up to the events.

• 14 Henrietta Street, in Dublin City, will provide tours, live drawing, music from all eras of the house's life, a journey through the city's poetry and tenement plays.

• Joyce Tower Museum in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin are to run a week of late night events in September, including readings and musical performances.

• National Famine Museum in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, will host a Samhain Ecotherapy Workshop and also Murder Mystery Nights.

• The Dock in Carrick On Shannon, Co. Leitrim, The Northern soul exhibition will open late for two weekends and have guided tours, a film screening and a DJ set.

• Ballinglen Museum of Art in Co. Mayo, will run a series of events which will consist of theatre, musicians, actors and storytellers.

• Tipperary Museum of Hidden History will host music sessions in the museum from local musicians and artists from September to October.

Funding was also made available to the National Cultural institutions to support new initiatives and build on some of the pilots initiated from last year, including IMMA, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the National Library of Ireland.

Click here to access further information and access a full listing of grant recipients.