New Shared Island Touring Scheme awards €200,000 for cross-border creative projects

Three awardees have received a total of €200,000 in funds through the new Shared Island Touring Scheme, the Arts Council of Ireland has announced.

The Scheme, delivered in partnership with the Arts Council of Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), provides all-island support for cross-border touring and cross-border co-productions. It is funded through the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund.

Details of the three awardees are as follows:

• Luail - Ireland's National Dance Company, have been awarded €85,890 to deliver world-class contemporary dance performances to five venues across the island of Ireland, featuring works by Akram Khan, Oona Doherty and Liz Roche, reimagined for the extraordinary Luail ensemble. Performances will take place between November 2026 and February 2027.
• Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, Co. Cork have been awarded €68,084, to tour an exhibition by Irish-British-Sri Lankan artist Shirani Bolle, which will feature a new body of work alongside existing work in textiles, film and performance. Bolles’ art explores issues of adaptation and survival through the perspective of migration and neurodiversity. The tour will take place in both jurisdictions between September 2026 and June 2027.
• Edwina Guckian has been awarded €46,026 to bring her dance show, ‘The Devil’s in the Dancehall’ to Northern Ireland between October 2026 and March 2027. These performances will bring a participatory dance, music and theatre experience into community halls.

The Shared Island Touring Scheme will be delivered by the Arts Council and ACNI through to 2030, with a total budget of 2 million euro.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, said:

"The Shared Island Touring Scheme is a fantastic way to bring exciting cultural experiences to communities across the island, North and South. This scheme recognises and celebrates the wealth of shared history and culture in an effort to further strengthen cross-border relationships today."

Arts Council of Ireland Chair, Maura McGrath, commented:

"Through specific investment, the Arts Council, in partnership with ACNI, can directly support Shared Island creative projects. By increasing access to the Touring of Work Scheme for arts organisations and venues in Northern Ireland, these projects will encourage dialogue, shared understanding and cultural exchange."

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said:

“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to partner with our colleagues in Arts Council Ireland in the New Shared Island Touring Scheme. This vital funding not only supports our artists on this island to grow artistically and create new, innovative work, but it also helps to diversify and widen audiences and participants, helping to ensure that more people from all backgrounds can enjoy arts experiences. Congratulations to Luail, The Sirius Arts Centre and Edwina Guckian on being awarded funding in this round, I look forward to experiencing these exciting works.”