In its latest round of funding, the Arts Council has awarded €145,384 in bursaries to 20 Irish musicians and composers.

The purpose of the bursary award is to support professional artists to develop their art practice. The musicians and composers received bursaries ranging in value from one to ten thousand euro.

The total awarded to music and opera was 15% of the overall amount of €1,001,699 awarded to 101 artists across music, literature, circus, theatre, film and visual arts. 

Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride commented: 

Each year we’re tasked with a difficult job of going through the hundreds of applications we receive and once again this year, we have identified those deserving recipients who are experts in the areas of music, opera, theatre, dance and architecture. Work in the arts sphere is ever-evolving and I look forward to seeing what is produced over the next number of years. I wish each of our recipients every success.

The Arts Council received 427 applications for the bursary awards across all art forms. The recipients in the music and opera categories were: saxophonists Gavin Brennan and Cathal Roche, drummer Sean Carpio, composers David Coonan, Seán Daly, Alex Dowling, Amanda Feery, Conal Ryan, David Stalling and Karen Power, guitarists Chris Guilfoyle, Redmond O’Toole and Shane Latimer, singers Elizabeth Hilliard, Lauren Kinsella and Sharon Carty, Indian sarode player Matthew Noone, uilleann piper David Power, singer and composer Sue Rynhart, and opera director Kate Guelke. 

The deadline for the Arts Council’s traditional arts bursary is 12 July. 

For further details on Arts Council funding visit www.artscouncil.ie.