Gary Lightbody says arts funding is ‘dire’ in NI

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has said the state of funding for the arts is “quite dire”.

Lightbody was among those who met the Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons on Thursday to discuss how to strengthen the arts sector in Northern Ireland.

He previously told BBC News NI that Stormont was “short-sighted” when it comes to public funding for arts.

Lyons told BBC News NI it was a “very difficult time for the arts sector”.

Lightbody told BBC News NI that he felt that it was his “responsibility to come represent the artists and the musicians”.

He acknowledged that there were “priorities above the arts in any society,” but “the arts bring us so much joy, we need to think about that.”

He said Northern Ireland was operating on a “shoestring budget” compared to the annual arts budget in the Republic of Ireland.

The Irish government introduced a minimum basic income for about 2,000 artists, musicians and performers in 2022.

“We are lagging behind a little bit,” he added.

The Bangor-born man said he would like to see “more funding and more initiatives for young people.”

“The next generation of artists in Northern Ireland is extremely important, because we are on a shoestring budget, a lot of potential artists are going to fall through the cracks.

“That’s a great tragedy,” he added.

Lyons told BBC News NI that he was there to ” listen to those that are involved in arts across Northern Ireland.”

The minister added that he wanted “to hear solutions they have on how we can strengthen the sector,” and what government can do to “deliver the change we all need to see.”

He also heard about the “impact that the arts have on wider society”.

“We know that investment in the arts can really help in terms of the health outcomes of our people, education, economy. That’s why I am here today, to listen to that,” he added.

Lyons said that “it was a very positive meeting. It was really positive to hear all the views today.”

He hoped that takeaways from the meeting can allow him to “present to the executive and make the case for that additional funding.

“Not just for extra grants or add on or something that’s fluffy, but a real investment in our people, which will have a positive economic return.”

Among others at the meeting was representatives from the Arts Council and the Lyric Theatre.

Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer at the Lyric Theatre emphasised the career opportunities within the arts industry.

“It’s a great career – a very rewarding one, it is imaginative. Investment in the arts will pay dividends in the end.”

He added: “I thought the minister listened to the concerns around the table. He seemed very willing to change the downwards spiral of lack of investment in the arts.”

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: “It was a very constructive meeting.”

She added that Gordon Lyons “listened attentively and said he had our back”.

“He understood the pressures the sector is under and he promised to act as a champion for the arts at the executive table,” she said.

“I think he genuinely had a great understanding and appreciation of the value and the impact that the arts brings to our community right across the board,” she added.

According to figures released earlier in 2024 by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), Wales spends twice as much on the arts per head of population compared to Northern Ireland.

According to ACNI, Northern Ireland spend £5.07 on arts funding per head of population in 2023/24 compared to £10.51 spent in Wales and £21.58 in the Republic of Ireland.

In June the Department for Communities (DfC) – the Executive department responsible for arts funding – acknowledged that funding to ACNI “has decreased, in real terms, by 30% over the last decade”.