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The Newry arts sector is highly regarded both far and wide but it is currently suffering on multiple fronts. In the north just over £5 is invested per person per year in the arts while south of the border, the importance of the arts is much more recognised with nearly £26 per person per year.
An increasingly smaller pot of funding has made it more and more difficulty to sustain events and initiatives meaning local arts organisations struggle to keep running from day to day. Additionally the lack of arts facilities since the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre closed in 2020 has contributed to a feeling that our local authority doesn't care about the sector. Plans for a new Theatre and Conference facility at the current location have no start date, and Newry Town Hall only takes bookings on a month to month basis, currently just to the end of July as once works start this facility will also be closed. Newry Feis were unable to run their 2025 festival there due to uncertainty around whether the Town Hall could be booked or not.
One major concern is that even when the new arts facility is completed, current plans mean it will lack a distinct gallery/exhibition area, despite project stakeholders highlighting this to council from the very beginning.
Newry City Councillor Doire Finn is pushing the arts at every opportunity and is determined to have the sector recognised both locally and throughout the North. Earlier this month Cllr Finn put forward a Council motion to establish an Arts Working Group in the district (Motion deferred to ERT Committee) and this week she has welcomed backing for an Opposition Day motion recognising the importance of the arts at the Stormont Assembly.
The motion called for a multi-year funding and delivery plan to be published by October 2025 to secure the future of the sector.
Cllr Finn is the SDLP Arts Spokesperson and prior to the motion the party hosted arts groups at Stormont.
Councillor Finn said: “This island has a special relationship with the arts. They are at the heart of our identity, our wellbeing and contribute so much to life here. From theatres and art galleries to screen production, music and design, the creative sector not only brings joy and meaning to people’s lives but also supports thousands of jobs across the North and makes a huge contribution to our economy.
“Despite that, the sector has faced years of underinvestment, devastating cuts and a lack of joined-up thinking across the Executive. It is unacceptable that the arts were absent from the Programme for Government and it’s clear that despite lip service, the current Executive does not see the arts and creative industries as a priority.
“I welcome broad Assembly recognition today for the strategic importance of our creative industries and the SDLP Opposition’s call for a multi-year funding and delivery plan by October this year. The SDLP will be holding the Executive responsible for delivering on that commitment and will continue to stand with artists, performers and creative workers across the North to ensure they get the recognition and investment they deserve.”
During the Assembly debate Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said "I firmly agree with Andy Allen's assertion that the arts sector is full of talent and potential, but, sadly, 70%-plus of the funding is for Belfast, and the combined Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council areas only get 6%. Surely there should be more fairness."
The Motion
That this Assembly recognises the strategic importance of the arts and creative industries, including the significant role that they play in our economic output and societal well-being; regrets the challenging situation facing the sector as a result of the current funding structure, the significant funding cuts and the siloed departmental working; notes the absence of the arts in the Programme for Government; and calls on the Minister for Communities to work with the Minister for the Economy to realise the full potential of the arts and creative industries by publishing a multi-year funding and delivery plan by October 2025 at the latest.
