Minister O’Donovan announces plans for a Shared Island Cultural Cooperation Fund

The Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, today welcomed the Joint Statement by the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister on 6 March 2025 setting out an ambitious programme of co-operation between Ireland and the UK through to 2030. The programme includes an agreement to establish a strategic partnership to deepen and amplify co-operation between leading cultural institutions and support wider public engagement with the contemporary culture and heritage of both Ireland and the United Kingdom. This will comprise a range of measures over 2025-2030 to support collaborations in programming, professional exchange, research and policy, and an annual joint meeting of leading cultural institutions.

On 25 February, the government confirmed an overall Shared Island Fund allocation of up to €20 million to support the development and delivery of a series of new Arts and Cultural Heritage programmes over 2025-2030 to deepen cultural cooperation, exchange and understanding.

Today, Minister O’Donovan is announcing that under the Arts and Cultural Heritage package, a new Shared Island Cultural Cooperation Fund, which will be administered through the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, will be established to support new collaborative cross-border performance, production, and cultural exhibitions, including through:

• enhanced cooperation between the National Cultural Institutions and partners
• supports for touring and productions; and
• screen sector capacity and Cultural digitisation projects

Programmes will be further developed by departments in cooperation with Executive and UK Government counterparts.

Speaking today, Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said:

"I warmly welcome the new UK-Ireland 2030 Joint Statement which confirms the intention of the Irish and British Governments to establish an ambitious programme of cultural cooperation and look forward to taking this forward, with British counterparts. I welcome also the government’s decision on 25 February to confirm an overall Shared Island Fund allocation of up to €20 million to support the development and delivery of a series of new Arts and Cultural Heritage programmes over 2025-2030 to deepen cultural cooperation, exchange and understanding.

“Arts and Culture are among the most powerful ways in which we encounter and understand each other across different communities and places, and these new programmes will help foster deeper cultural exchange and understanding across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

“My department will further develop each programme with UK and Northern Ireland counterparts, bringing forward new funding supports to connect and engage audiences and the cultural and creative sectors in new ways, including through exhibitions, co-creation projects, artistic exchanges and touring. Today, I am delighted to announce that under a new Shared Island Cultural Cooperation Fund, my department will support cross-border performance, production, and cultural exhibitions. I hope that this new Fund will support and encourage ambitious and innovative programmes and to strengthen cultural, artistic and creative connections in the years to come.”