
Award winning Kerry pub one of just 33 venues to receive funding under support scheme
The funding, which was announced on Thursday June 12 by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, totals €500,000 and this will be used in providing in funding to assist small, established grassroots music venues to showcase the talent of emerging musicians across Ireland.
A total of 33 venues have been offered funding of up to €15,000 from the Night-Time Economy Grassroots Music Venues Support Scheme to support the continued programming of early-career musicians.
Applications were received from a wide range of late-night venues including pubs, nightclubs and theatres. Venues in many rural towns and villages are being supported, with funding awarded to 16 venues outside of our major cities.
Following the announcement of the Scheme in March 2025, there was a high level of interest in this pilot scheme, with nearly 100 applications submitted before the scheme was closed.
Those approved for funding met the scheme's eligibility criteria, which included a requirement to demonstrate evidence of a strong track record of regularly holding ticketed grassroots music events, showcasing emerging artists performing original music, spanning the years 2023-2024.
It's set to be a busy few months once more in the Listowel pub with a number of big name acts set to come to town.
Upcoming performances by Villagers and Kerry's very own Lorraine Nash are completely sold out while The Riptide Movement have just been announced to play there on the night of October 24.
Tralee's Seamus Harty meanwhile will play there on August 7. A full line up of what's on there in the coming months is available over on the bar's website where tickets can also be bought.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Journal
2 days ago
- The Journal
Artists to receive an extra €8,450 as Basic Income for the Arts scheme extended until next year
THE BASIC INCOME for the Arts (BIA) payment scheme has been extended until February 2026 – meaning that artists currently on the pilot programme will receive an additional €8,450. This extension applies to the 2,000 artists participating in the scheme, who receive a weekly payment of €325. Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, confirmed that the government remains committed to reviewing the BIA pilot scheme to 'maximise its impact'. He explained that the six-month extension of the scheme allows the department time to prepare proposals for a new successor scheme. Last month, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport published a report on the scheme, in which artists highlighted how the weekly stipend improved their mental health, gave them a greater sense of empowerment, and provided much-needed stability in their lives and work . Advertisement Other benefits cited included helping artists secure more sustainable housing, start families, and establish pension schemes. Arts groups have warmly welcomed the scheme. Launched initially in September 2022, the Basic Income for the Arts scheme has been a vital source of support for many creatives. O'Donovan plans to present proposals for a successor scheme to Cabinet as part of Budget 2026. The six-month extension will be used to finalise research on the pilot and engage with key stakeholders in the arts sector. The minister said this approach would provide the government 'with a comprehensive evidence base upon which to base future policy decisions' regarding the scheme. 'I fully appreciate the importance of the Basic Income support for artists and am glad to bring some certainty to those currently benefiting from it,' he added. Following the announcement, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) launched a new campaign urging local government representatives to back calls for the scheme to be permanently retained, extended, and expanded. 'Our campaign aims to benefit Irish society by ensuring the BIA scheme becomes a permanent support mechanism for artists, recognising its potential to transform Ireland's precious creative landscape,' NCFA Chairperson Maria Fleming said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert Spanish: A ‘good' paper with lots of choice, despite some tricky moments
Today's Leaving Cert Spanish exam gave students lots of chances to get their marks although more nuanced elements of language provided some challenging moments. Maria Fenton, Spanish teacher at The Institute of Education, said that overall students will have found lots of topics and themes that they recognise. Section A contained a choice between two texts: a prescribed novel by Gabriel Garcia Márquez or a journalistic text. Ms Fenton said students tend to favour the latter and so most will have started their exam by jumping to page eight. READ MORE 'This year's piece was a lovely text on the distinct culture of Spain and how it causes a bit of culture shock on first arrival,' she said. 'Little details like kissing on both cheeks, later mealtimes and the late-night clubs were a nice reflection of the Spanish lifestyle and will be familiar to those who have had the chance to visit Spain.' The most challenging part of this section, she said, was the synonym tasks which 'really required students to grasp the whole phrase in order to understand some of the necessary nuances'. For example, she said, when looking for a match for 'aún se escucha' ('can still be heard') students might have parsed out the phrase and looked for words relating to hearing or listening. Yet the correct answer was 'still exists', focusing on the enduring rather than aural quality of the phrase. The same is true for 'asombro' (astonish) being matched with the word for 'surprise'. 'While stronger students will not find this an issue, those who are uncertain and thus try to dismantle the grammatical logic of the phrase will definitely feel challenged here,' she said. Section B While section A looked at more traditional takes on Spanish culture, Ms Fenton said section B was very modern. 'The long text was on an AI generated influencer which overlaps two areas that teachers will have likely prepared in class: AI and social media,' she says. 'Again, the synonyms were challenging here but this was balanced with nicer questions in English where students would have been able to comfortably gather marks.' Question five's composition questions were all 'nice and on topics with which students will be familiar', Ms Fenton said. 'Previous Spanish papers have occasionally drawn on topics that might not have been particularly current or directly present in the lives of students (zoos, the value of silence etc.), but these prompts were based on things that they would naturally have an opinion on,' she said. She said tasks on whether 'social media is better than real life' or the 'value of traditional jobs' connect with this digitally-savvy generation, so they will have had plenty to say. Section C Ms Fenton said section C has lots of choice, all of which were really viable this year. 'Initially students would need to choose between doing some translations of a dialogue or writing a formal letter,' she said. 'Traditionally students prefer translations as they are shorter and more direct, but this year's letter was a great option. It asked on the very topical issue of tourism in Spain.' While this issue contained lots of important ideas, the prompts for the question allowed students to talk about really familiar themes like food, weather, festivals or learning the language, she said. 'More capable students could choose to push into the critical issue of housing supply, but this is something they would have encountered previously,' Ms Fenton said. 'The range of choice in the letter question allowed for the housing topic to be avoided completely. The exam closes with students either writing a diary or a note, both of which were a nice conclusion to this paper.' The trend of mixing cultural background with contemporary topics continued into the aural, which students should have found 'very manageable', Ms Fenton said. 'Overall, this was a good paper with lots of chances for everyone to get their marks. However, some of the more nuanced elements of the language will really test the students' alertness of cultural nuances.'


Irish Independent
14-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Award winning Kerry pub one of just 33 venues to receive funding under support scheme
The funding, which was announced on Thursday June 12 by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, totals €500,000 and this will be used in providing in funding to assist small, established grassroots music venues to showcase the talent of emerging musicians across Ireland. A total of 33 venues have been offered funding of up to €15,000 from the Night-Time Economy Grassroots Music Venues Support Scheme to support the continued programming of early-career musicians. Applications were received from a wide range of late-night venues including pubs, nightclubs and theatres. Venues in many rural towns and villages are being supported, with funding awarded to 16 venues outside of our major cities. Following the announcement of the Scheme in March 2025, there was a high level of interest in this pilot scheme, with nearly 100 applications submitted before the scheme was closed. Those approved for funding met the scheme's eligibility criteria, which included a requirement to demonstrate evidence of a strong track record of regularly holding ticketed grassroots music events, showcasing emerging artists performing original music, spanning the years 2023-2024. It's set to be a busy few months once more in the Listowel pub with a number of big name acts set to come to town. Upcoming performances by Villagers and Kerry's very own Lorraine Nash are completely sold out while The Riptide Movement have just been announced to play there on the night of October 24. Tralee's Seamus Harty meanwhile will play there on August 7. A full line up of what's on there in the coming months is available over on the bar's website where tickets can also be bought.