The Arts Council has announced the successful recipients of Round 2 of our Agility Award for 2023, with a total of 597 successful participants receiving funding of up to €5,000 each. 

The Agility Award supports individual artists and arts workers at any stage in their careers.  The Agility Award grant is of up to €5,000 and will help musicians, actors, writers, dancers, filmmakers, and visual and other artists develop their practice and are based in all four provinces of Ireland. 

Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: “The Arts Council is thrilled to announce that €2.8m in funding is being provided to 597 artists this year through the agility award.  Our commitment to the arts and culture community has never been stronger and this funding will enable these artists to realise their creative vision, foster innovation, and contribute to the vibrancy of our artistic landscape. We believe in the transformative power of art, and we are proud to invest in the future of these artists and in the enrichment of our society.”   

The Agility Award, which was introduced as a rapid response to the pandemic in 2020, has provided over €2.8M in funding in Round 2, bringing the total Agility Award funding in 2023 to over €5.6M.  Since its inception, a total of over €20.2M has been awarded to 4,298 artists through the Agility Award.  

Recipients spoke of how the award would allow them to fulfil long-term ambitions, support them and how receiving an award like this for the first time was a real validation of their passion for their work.   

Newly awarded recipients of the Agility Award include: Lorna McLaughlin, a passionate musician and arts facilitator who leads the Inishowen Community Trad Choir; Ana Lucia Mondoloni, a queer Dublin based artist, who has a particular interest in portrait photography; Christopher Moran, a theatre director and writer from Arklow, who uses historical and archival research to retell forgotten stories; Chandrika Narayanan Mohan, a writer, performer, and cultural consultant from India, who writes poetry, essays, and flash; Megan O’Neill, an opera singer in training from Kerry; and Sinéad Purcell, who creates immersive and challenging theatre for all ages and works with the NGI’s Community Outreach Programme and LauraLynn Hospice.