Council urged to support Linenhall Arts Centre

Council urged to support Linenhall


Castlebar
Edwin McGreal
edwinmcgreal@mayonews.ie

Unless Mayo County Council substantially increases its funding to the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, the popular venue could close.
That was the vivid picture painted by Marie Farrell, Director of the Linenhall, at last Thursday’s meeting of the Castlebar Electoral Area where local councillors were given an up to date report on the Centre’s current funding difficulties.
She explained that the Linenhall had, since its creation as an Arts Centre in 1990, benefitted from far more funding from the Arts Council than from local authorities such as Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council.
She said a ‘boom’ of new arts centres from 2000 onwards had been, in the main, funded by local authorities. Now, the Arts Council, with a greatly reduced budget, were effectively saying their policy will be that they will concentrate their budget on centres who also receive significant local authority funding. Ms Farrell explained that the Arts Council feel these centres are more secure due to significant local authority support and she made an impassioned plea for the council to support them financially.
“In the past there was no great need for local authority funding because, as one of the first arts centres in the country, we were well taken care of by the Arts Council. Now we’re between a rock and a hard place. The Arts Council are not going to continue to support us.
“The Linenhall is part of the fabric of the town. We’re asking Mayo County Council do ye value the Linenhall? If ye do, ye will have to start resourcing us,” said Ms Farrell.  
Explaining how most of their funding comes from the Arts Council, Ms Farrell said that they received €330,000 in 2008 but that was down to €190,000 for 2013.
She said that due to the expansion of the Linenhall, they were now in a ‘precarious position’. She added that €40,000 of an allocation from Castlebar Town Council had helped to save two jobs at the Castlebar venue. She revealed how County Council funding had remained quite static, down from €35,000 in 2008 to €29,500 for 2013 but that their loss in Arts Council funding combined with the Arts Council’s stated policy of supporting centres significantly backed by local authorities was really undermining the Linenhall’s future.
She explained how, in 2012, 23,370 people had attended various events at the Linenhall across a wide range of genres. Fifteen people are employed there and the venue was shorlisted for the IMRO Bet Live Music Venue for 2012. Their turnover for 2012 was €480,000.
Cllr Eugene McCormack, a member of the Board of the Linenhall, said he felt the council should ‘take up the slack’ with the Arts Council ‘backing away’. Cllr Al McDonnell said that while the Linenhall is a ‘wonderful outlet’, the council themselves are struggling with money too. Cllr Blackie Gavin described the current allocation of €29,500 as ‘a bit mean’ and said something in the range of €150,000 would be more appropriate.
Councillors all agreed to propose to a full meeting of the council that Marie Farrell give all councillors a similar presentation ahead of any estimates decision for 2014.

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