'Stop screwing the North West' - Row erupts on music venue support schemes

The Minister for Culture, Patrick O’Donovan, was told by Deputy Doherty that he was “off his rocker” when debating the geographical fairness of the Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme.

€500,000 had been provided in funding to assist small, established grassroots music venues to showcase the talent of emerging musicians across Ireland, however, only one venue in Ulster and two venues in Connacht were awarded funding, compared to 19 venues in Munster, 13 venues in Dublin, and 10 in Leinster. 

Donegal’s Deputy Doherty told Minister O’Donovan at Dáil Éireann for “regional balance” and to “stop screwing the North West.”

He commented: “The scheme was very welcome, but it is devastating to learn how the Department divvied out this money on a first-come-first-served basis.

“Not one venue north of Galway or west of Louth got money, despite the fact that there are sound technicians, music technicians, and artists playing in venues that were eligible. The whole region has been left out because of the criteria used by the Department.”

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Deputy Doherty said he would not say that Minister O’Donovan’s department did a good job, and questioned the number of successful applications in Minister O’Donovan’s home constituency in Limerick.

In response, Minister O’Donovan said it was “remiss” of Deputy Doherty to “try to run down the officials in the Department,” and that no matter what he did with his scheme, Deputy Doherty would have been “opposed to it anyway.”

Minister O’Donnell insisted that there was only one eligible application from Ulster, and said he was sure that Deputy Doherty would have “all the wisdom of Job” in articulating how the Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme would proceed in the future.