Departmental Funding
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Darren O'Rourke (SF), Meath East

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.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-05