Mayo musicians urged to apply for musical instrument funding

Musicians from Mayo are invited to submit their applications for Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme. 

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, earlier this year confirmed funding of over €1 million for the scheme which provides funding for musical instruments.

Numerous groups and individuals from Mayo have received funding in the past, including the Mayo Academy for Performing Arts/Music West, and Achill International Harp Festival - Féile Chruite Acla. 

Minister Catherine Martin TD said she is ‘overjoyed’ with her department’s ability to fund the Music Capital Scheme and support its expansion. 

“The Scheme has benefited thousands of people since its inception and, with this year’s extensive range of applicant supports, a particular focus will be given to assisting first time and previously unsuccessful applicants. 

“This funding allows so many deserving organisations and individuals to receive the crucial funds they need to purchase musical instruments and, as a former music teacher, that is such a wonderful thing to be a part of’,” she added.   

Established in 2008, the Music Capital Scheme is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and managed by Music Network. 

The scheme comprises three different awards and provides funding for the purchase of musical instruments to individual professional musicians and to non-professional performing groups. 

Award one is open to non-professional performing groups, two is for the benefit of individual established professional performing musicians, while three is for individual emerging professional performing musicians. 

It has expanded this year, with the addition of two new awards for the benefit of both musicians and arts venues. Award four provides string instruments for a defined period of time to exceptional players, five supports the purchase and refurbishment of concert standard pianos in selected venues across the country. These new awards will be launched in the coming months. 

_{Budding musician Kaila Kennedy (Photo: Marc O'Sullivan)}

Music Network is committed to equity and inclusion and welcomes applications from individuals within culturally diverse communities and people with disabilities. Since its establishment, the scheme has made 544 awards to individual musicians and organisations providing access to instruments for over 51,000 people across the country. 

Beneficiaries range from early years to mature players, including musicians with physical and intellectual disabilities. 

Over 200 performing groups have been able to purchase instruments and expand their memberships, with 202 professional established and emerging musicians advancing their performance careers with new instruments enabled by the scheme. 

Music Network CEO, Sharon Rollston, expressed the group’s deep gratitude to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for its ongoing commitment to providing this vital funding.

“This investment continues to make a significant impact on the quality of, and access to, music-making and live music performance throughout Ireland. We particularly welcome the addition of this year’s new awards, which will go a long way towards addressing specific challenges facing musicians and in the presentation of live music. 

“Our aim is that the capacity building supports provided to applicants will help people to make the best application possible, achieve positive results for them, and benefit the music sector widely,” she continued.

The closing date for applications for Award Categories one through three is Tuesday, June 25 at 2pm. More information on categories and how to apply is available on the Music Network’s website.