Laois communities urged to tap in to creative funding

Laois communities are being invited to team up with artists to avail of funding to highlight their local heritage through art.

Laois County Council, with funding support from Creative Ireland, has announced year two of its Heritage through Art grant scheme. The grant scheme encourages communities and artists to work together in exploring and presenting aspects of Laois’s heritage and new heritage through varying art forms.

David Broderick is Creative Communities Engagement Officer with the council. He explained more about the fund.

"We are currently inviting community groups to apply for funding to work with an artist to explore aspects of Laois’s heritage.

"Heritage will include the following – monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects including archives, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, geology, heritage gardens and parks, inland waterways, folklore and local history. More below picture.

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Mountrath Youth Theatre Group pictured in 2023. 

"Art can include any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever art form, including; visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium within those art forms," he said.

Mr Broderick added that successful applicants from the 2023 scheme were from the Errill Famine Commemoration Committee, Dysart Enos Old Church Committee, Mountrath Youth Theatre, Mountmellick Christmas Tree Project, Aghaboe Abbey Conservation Committee and Abbeyleix Heritage House.

Application forms can be downloaded from https://laois.ie/departments/creative-ireland/

If you have any queries or need advice, please send an email to creativelaois@laoiscoco.ie.

Applications are due on or before 12pm, Monday April 1st 2024, to be emailed to creativelaois@laoiscoco.ie and cc dabroderick@laoiscoco.ie