THE Arts Council has awarded Pounds 377,000 in bursaries and awards to writers, painters, actors, dancers and musicians. This year's awards make it the year of the dance with an 89 per cent increase in awards to dancers.
The largest single award of Pounds 15,000 went to visual artist Paddy Jolley, currently exhibiting in the Gallery of Photography, Temple Bar. His fellowship includes a year's studio space in New York.
The total amount awarded represents an increase of around 11 per cent on last year. The 123 recipients include playwright Marina Carr, who received a literature fellowship of Pounds 3,500. She intends to use it to develop new scripts and complete a collection of short stories.
The council said it had almost doubled the amount given in dance awards from Pounds 32,000 to Pounds 57,000. This represents 15 per cent of the total award fund. The council created three awards in choreography, professional dancers and professional dance teachers.
Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins and former Morning Ireland presenter Vincent Woods also received literature awards. Three Irish language writers, Aine Ni Ghlinn, Liam O Muirthile and Padraic Breathnach, received Pounds 17,500 among them.
The majority of awards went to people involved in drama, with the visual arts receiving 28 awards, dance 21, music 16, and five education travel awards.
The Arts Council, in association with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, has allocated almost 800 "artflights" this year. The scheme is run in conjunction with Aer Lingus.
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