Latest news with #PatrickO'Donovan
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry literary festival ‘deeply appreciates' €25,000 award funding
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Patrick O'Donovan, visited Listowel during the festival meet with organisers and festivalgoers at St John's Theatre for a special event. As part of his visit, Minister O'Donovan announced a funding award of €25,000 to Listowel Writers' Week in recognition of its enduring contribution to literature and community engagement. He said the Listowel Writers' Week team work seamlessly to combine local literary life with overseas writers of renown. The minister added that such a system succeeds in bringing people together to enjoy the written word in all its forms. 'I am always heartened by the level of community participation and support involved in making this event happen on the ground, and I commend all those involved,' said Minister O'Donovan. The Chairman of Listowel Writers' Week Ned O'Sullivan warmly welcomed the minister's remarks and financial support, adding that the organisers of Ireland's oldest festival are truly grateful for the ongoing support of Listowel Writers' Week. 'This magnificent funding award recognises the importance of our work. Minister O'Donovan's encouragement for the arts and engagement with communities like ours is deeply appreciated and helps sustain our efforts year after year,' he said. The 2025 Listowel Literary Festival was a collaborative initiative with Kerry Writers' Museum, and St John's Theatre & Arts Centre. The festival concluded on Sunday with the organisers satisfied that this year's festival was a huge success with numbers up on many events.
Irish Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Post
Ryder Cup 2027 dates confirmed as competition set to return to Ireland for first time in 20 years
DATES have been released for the 2027 Ryder Cup which will return to Ireland for the first time since 2006. The prestigious golf tournament will be held at Adare Manor in County Limerick from September 13 to 19, 2027 the organisers have confirmed this week. P McManus, owner of Adare Manor pictured with Ireland's Sports Minister Patrick O'Donovan and Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the European Tour Group, as the date were announced (Pic: Ryder Cup Europe) The event will mark the 100th anniversary of the biennial contest and will include four build-up days, from September 13 to September 16, followed by three days of competition between Europe and the United States, from, September 17 to September 19, 2027. Following the conclusion of this year's Ryder Cup contest, which takes place at Bethpage Black in New York this September, Adare Manor will officially become the next host venue of the Ryder Cup. It will be the second time Ireland has hosted the Ryder Cup. They last hosted in 2006, when Team Europe, under the captaincy of Ian Woosnam, defeated the United States by a record margin of 18½ - 9½ at The K Club. Tickets for the 2027 Ryder Cup will be available to buy inn 2026, but golf fans can regiuster their interest now. See More: Adare Manor, Golf, Ireland, Limerick, Ryder Cup, Tournament
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Section 481 film tax credit gets an 8pc uplift
Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe jointly launched an enhanced Section 481 tax credit for mid- to lower-budget feature films. The change was signalled in last year's Budget, and the official announcement was due to be made two weeks ago. It was postponed following US president Donald Trump's threat to put a 100pc tariff on movies produced outside America. Mr Trump claimed Hollywood is dying a 'very fast death' due to other countries offering 'all kinds of incentives to draw our filmmakers away'. In a post on Truth Social, he added: 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' Government sources told the Irish Independent earlier this month that the official unveiling of the improvement to the Irish film tax credit was postponed as a result. It was decided that a launch just after Mr Trump's tariff threat would have sent the wrong signal to the US administration. The improvements to the Section 481 scheme will be backdated, so that film-makers applying for the tax credit do not lose out as a result of the postponement. Branded as 'Scéál', the scheme is an 8pc uplift to the existing 32pc tax incentive, bringing it to a total of 40pc. It will be available to feature films with a budget of less than €20m. At least one of the key creative roles – director, screenwriter, composer, editor, cinematographer and production designer – must be taken by a native or resident of the European Economic Area. In animated feature films, the key creative roles include art director, composer and production designer. Another condition of the tax break is that the film must be intended for exhibition at a commercial cinema in Ireland for at least five days. The ministers said the aim of the uplift is to encourage and support smaller-scale Irish cinema, providing opportunities for film creatives based in Ireland as they build their careers. Mr Donohoe said: 'The Scéal uplift is a fantastic addition to our already globally recognised Section 481 film tax credit. The uplift will be of great benefit to our smaller indigenous productions, the type that portray Irish stories on screen and project them all over the world.' The Government also intends to provide a tax break for unscripted productions, which include reality shows, chat shows and other light-entertainment programmes that are often filmed before a live studio audience. This means the likes of The Late Late Show on RTÉ could qualify. The Department of Finance has notified the new relief to the European Commission, whose officials are now examining whether it complies with EU rules on state aid.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Dobson to chair new State Commemorations Advisory Committee
Former RTÉ News broadcaster Bryan Dobson is to chair the new State Commemorations Advisory Committee. The announcement was made this afternoon by the Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan. The committee is tasked with maintaining an inclusive, respectful, and consensus-based approach to all commemorative matters. It also includes Professor Marie Coleman, former ministers Heather Humphreys and Éamon Ó'Cuív, Orlaith McBride, Professor Paul Rouse and Dr Audrey Whitty. "The Decade of Centenaries was a period of deep historical and national significance. As Minister, I am proud of how we, as a nation, commemorated that complex and formative chapter always with respect, sensitivity, and scholarly integrity. "Today, we build on that legacy by establishing a new Commemorations Advisory Committee to guide future commemorative efforts," Minister O'Donovan said. The minister and some committee members met today in the new headquarters of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to view a recent acquisition by the State. The typed document is a signed agreement between Éamon de Valera, Austin Stack, Arthur Griffith, and Michael Collins that aimed to address the immediate political crisis arising from the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The agreement was drafted and signed at the extraordinary Ard Fheis of Sinn Féin, held on 21-22 February 1922, at the Mansion House in Dublin. Some 3,000 delegates from all over Ireland attended to interpret the constitution of Sinn Féin considering the treaty and to decide the party's policy for the upcoming elections. The document will be available on the National Archives website for researchers to access.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
'Scéal' tax credit scheme announced for Irish movies with budget of €20m
Irish movies with a budget of up to €20 million have been given an uplift today with the announcement of the 'Scéal' tax credit scheme by Minister for Arts and Culture, Patrick O'Donovan. This new enhanced tax credit specifically targeting mid-to-lower budget films, provides an additional 8% uplift tax relief to Ireland's existing 32% tax incentive for film and television, Section 481. Speaking at the launch, Minister O'Donovan said that this is a positive change to Section 481 which will "benefit the Irish film industry, Irish film workers in senior creative roles and Irish cinemas". The 'Scéal' strand of Section 481 provides an additional tax relief to production companies producing small to medium sized feature films or animated feature films. Additionally, the uplift of 8% will be available to feature films with a budget of less than €20 million where at least one of the key creative roles of film director, screenwriter, or composer, amongst other key creative roles, is a national of, or ordinarily resident, in Ireland or the EEA. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said at the launch that "Scéal Uplift is a fantastic addition to our already globally recognised Section 481 film tax credit." The uplift will be of "great benefit to our smaller indigenous productions, the type that portray Irish stories on screen and project them all over the world," he added. The feature film must be intended for exhibition at a commercial cinema in Ireland for at least five days. At the launch, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland also announced details of a new Irish-language slate development fund, 'Smaointe', that will support Irish production companies as they develop a slate of creative projects in the Irish language. 'Smaointe' will support Irish-language narrative projects across film, television and animation, and companies specialising in Irish-language production. Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Screen Ireland, also welcomed the roll out of the 'Scéal' and 'Smaointe' schemes, saying that they would "create a new opportunity for Irish filmmakers and screen artists." Members of the Irish film sector have been campaigning for an extension of the 481 tax credit scheme. In Screen Ireland's most recent analysis of the Irish film production industry covering 2021-2023, published in January, the report found that the audio visual sector is worth €1 billion to Ireland. The report noted that the Section 481 tax credit was "hugely significant for the industry as two thirds of production spend was supported by this tax relief."
