Pubs & nightclubs among successful NTESS applicants

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin recently announced the successful applicants of the €4 million offered in funding to assist off-peak entertainment in towns and cities around the country.

A total of 433 organisations have been offered funding from the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme.

Applications were received from a wide range of venues including pubs, nightclubs, cafés, theatres, arts centres, galleries, museums and retail outlets.

Well over 2,000 events in every county across the country have been approved for funding. They include live music, ranging from traditional music to electronic music, DJ nights, theatre, comedy, dance, literature, art and photographic exhibitions.

Cafés and unlicensed premises have been awarded over €434,000 in funding.

Venues in rural towns and villages were also supported and funding was awarded to 252 venues outside cities.

“There has been a great reaction from the night-time sector to this pilot scheme,” Minister Martin said, adding that, “It’s also extremely important that we ensure that there’s a balance between alcohol and alcohol-free activities to ensure that a wider demographic can engage with the Night-Time Economy and it was also really encouraging to see the response from this sector.

“I recently announced that I secured €6 million as part of Budget 2023 to assist the night-time economy sector. I am currently considering the development of further initiatives and we will continue to work with key stakeholders in the Night-Time Economy to examine other opportunities to open up existing venues to more Night-Time Economy activity.”

A number of licensed events were funded recently including:

• The Factory nightclub in Waterford which was allocated funding for a number of off-peak electronic music events throughout October
• Tramline in Dublin which hosted four high profile DJ and dancing nights every Wednesday in September
• The Ol’ 55 in Galway City which held a series of events in October focusing on grassroots female performers based in Galway City
• Baggotonia – where a number of pubs along Baggot Street celebrated the literary history and famous literary figures associated with the venues on this street through theatrical performances
• Birr Theatre and Arts Centre which ran ‘Women In Comedy’ – a series of comedy evenings on Thursdays in September.