2026-02-05

9. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the funding available through his Department for community festivals such as a festival (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7869/26]

What funding is available through the Minister’s Department for community festivals such as Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival, the Hinterland Festival Kells in my area of Meath, Kells Type Trail, Moynalty Steam Threshing Festival and the Samhain Festival of Food and Culture? There are a range of excellent community festivals all over the State. I wish to know the types of funding supports available through his Department.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an eolais faoi gach uile féile i gContae na Mí. I do not think he forgot any of them. The positive impact of festivals is very much recognised by my Department, both in building local pride and boosting local economies. While we do not have a scheme specifically for community festivals, there may be avenues to support available under LEADER or the local enhancement programme, which is currently open for applications. LEADER has been operating successfully in Ireland for 35 years. In line with the programme for Government, LEADER has a strong focus on rural tourism and funding has been made available under LEADER for festivals and local tourism initiatives. For example, the Deputy will be aware that the Samhain Festival of Food and Culture in Kells was supported by LEADER funding in 2024. In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER, funding of the proposed activity must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved LEADER local development strategy and it must comply with the EU regulations and operating rules. As the Deputy knows, the programme is administered by local action groups. Prospective applicants or applicants organising festivals should, in the first instance, contact the local action group which, in this case, is the Meath local action group. The local enhancement programme supports small capital grants to community and voluntary groups to improve facilities or purchase equipment. In some cases, this will help to support groups that run local festivals. The 2026 programme is now open until the end of February. It will provide €7 million in capital supports nationally. This €7 million is broken down on a local authority by local authority basis into small capital grants. Some festivals require generators and other items. Finally, as the Deputy will be aware, we fund agricultural shows through a €1 million investment into 130 shows that we deliver through the Irish Shows Association across the country. For many communities, the agricultural show is a fantastic statement of their pride, not just in their area but in the agriculture industry that underpins their area.

Absolutely. We are grateful for that funding at the Nobber Show, Dunderry Fair and Royal Meath Show. They are well supported by the community and that is welcome. The contribution of community festivals is to strengthen social cohesion, support local economies, promote volunteerism, enhance local community identity, pride and well-being, and provide low-cost, accessible cultural experiences for people. They are fantastic. The Minister and Minister of State will appreciate that local communities look forward to them every year. They are built into the calendar. Funding is always a challenge. I ask the Minister to consider a dedicated funding stream and, more than that, for it to be multi-annual. A challenge for these groups is that there is competitive tendering and a competitive process every year. LEADER is very welcome but it has a cumbersome application for those seeking it.

I agree with the Deputy about the importance of festivals. I put on the record my thanks and that of the Minister of State to the volunteers who put them together. I am always struck that the volunteers who pull this festival together are the ones who make the least out of it. They are not involved in any of the hospitality businesses that do well. They do it together because there is massive community spirit. I assure the Deputy it is something we have looked at. Other supports are available through LEADER. The LEADER process is cumbersome because it involves EU funding, but both the Minister of State and I constantly ask our officials to ensure that the application process for any of our schemes is the least cumbersome possible, bearing in mind that volunteers are doing this. The local enhancement programme, LEP, process, which in the Deputy's case is open via Meath County Council, is a good example of a relatively less cumbersome process. We constantly keep it under review. Supports are available for festivals through Fáilte Ireland, the Department of tourism and local authorities. The model that we have with the Irish Shows Association, which had its annual general meeting in November in Trim, coincidentally, is a good model, in which we fund a national organisation, which, in turn, funds 130 local organisations.

I do not know if the Minister is hearing of the issue of insurance but I am sure he is. It is tangentially his responsibility in supporting projects such as this. As I said in my previous contribution, these festivals are important for local communities for reasons we all agree on. Insurance can be a challenge and put some of them at risk. That is potentially increasingly the case. Is the Minister aware of that, discussing it with colleagues, and considering possible supports for groups in that regard?

I agree. Insurance costs in this country continue to be a massive challenge, particularly for festivals, but also for businesses, including small businesses. I was a Minister of State in the previous Government in the Department of enterprise, which led on this work. It is a matter of enormous frustration and anger to me that all of the work that we have done has not resulted in insurance deductions for small businesses, festivals, homeowners or car owners. Insurance continues to be a challenge for festivals and for local voluntary groups. We work with the Department of agriculture, for instance, which provides funding for insurance for shows. Insurance is a major challenge. We will definitely zero in on it. Following today's session, we will ask our officials to work with officials in the Department of tourism in this space and work with the various festivals to identify if support is available. It will not be available in 2026 as festivals get to that planning phase. Insurance is a major challenge. The insurance industry has not delivered on the reforms that this Government and previous Governments have brought in.