The Arts Council is the national government agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland.
Our role is to advocate, advise, invest and work in partnership with others, to cultivate a vibrant arts environment at the heart of Irish society.
We actively deliver projects which value and promote the arts in Ireland, and commission and publish arts research and information.
Our work with government and other state bodies informs arts policy.
We invest public money into the arts in Ireland. We provide funding and a range of supports to artists and arts organisations.
We collaborate with arts practitioners and organisations to cultivate and promote Ireland’s cultural landscape.
The Arts Council board is a voluntary body of 12 members and a chair. Members are appointed by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The board oversees our strategic direction.
Our executive team, led by Director Maureen Kennelly, is a dedicated and creative team, passionate about the arts.
We are guided by organisational values in our work:
Our strategic priorities and policies value the arts as having a vital role across all communities in Ireland.
We believe in an inclusive and diverse culture, where everyone can participate in and enjoy the arts. A range of policies and plans support talented and ambitious artists to make great work.
Strategy and implementation
Making Great Art Work sets out our vision for the development of the arts from 2016-2025.
Find out more – Strategy and implementation
Developmental policies
We have policies on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, Paying the Artist, Spatial, and Digital Arts.
Find out more – Developmental policies
Artforms and arts practice areas
Discover our vision and how we implement goals for each artform area we support.
Find out more – Artforms and arts practice areasWe are committed to operating to the highest standards of corporate governance. Our Code of Governance Framework guides how our board works.
The Arts Council is a public agency committed to transparent decision making.
Read the minutes of the Board’s monthly plenary meetings and explore the evolution of the arts in Ireland since 1951 through our Annual Reports.
Established in 1951 as a result of government fears that the arts in Ireland were suffering from neglect, The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon has supported and developed the arts with pride for over seven decades.
We continue to ensure the arts remain central to Irish life, culture and heritage.
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon is a Prescribed Body in the planning process and should be notified by a Planning Authority under specific circumstances.
We are a team who believe in the exciting and transformative power of the arts. We champion creativity, cultural expression and artistic excellence.
We offer rewarding career opportunities across a diverse range of areas.
There are no current opportunities.
