Artists in Ireland to receive 325 Euros per week

nme.com:

RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: “I think today marks probably the most momentous indication of how Ireland values its artists, probably since, you know, the establishment of the Arts Council who celebrate their 70th birthday this year.”The scheme was the main recommendation that came out of the report of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce, which was launched by Minister for the Arts, Catherine Martin in 2020.Martin has described the scheme as a “watershed” moment for the arts, and added that people “leaned into the work of artists during times of need”, especially during the COVID pandemic (via Irish Times).She added: “It is the arts that will help us make sense of what happened and help us shape the future.” In the UK, there is no such similar help for artists.

Back in November, UK charity Help Musicians reported that one in three musicians are still earning nothing since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted last summer.They found that almost nine in 10 musicians were earning less than £1,000 per month, and 22 per cent were considering giving up music altogether.

The charity also said 83 per cent of professional musicians have been unable to find regular work.During the early months of the pandemic, a survey by the Musicians’ Union revealed that almost one-fifth of musicians were currently considering abandoning their careers because of a lack of support from the British Government..