Max HeyraudIreland’s grassroots venues are set to receive a major funding boost as Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan announced the recipients of the 2026 Grassroots Venues Support Scheme.
The initiative, which launched as a pilot programme in 2025, has expanded significantly for its second year, with the total fund increasing to €1 million. Sixty venues across the country have now been offered grants of up to €20,000, nearly doubling the number of recipients supported during the scheme’s inaugural edition.
The expanded programme arrives amid ongoing concerns over the sustainability of independent venues throughout Ireland and Europe, where rising operational costs and shifting nightlife habits continue to place pressure on small-capacity spaces.
A number of the funded spaces also play a significant role in Ireland’s club culture and late-night ecosystem. Dublin venues including Wigwam, The Workman’s Club, The Grand Social, The Sound House, Yamamori Tengu and The Bernard Shaw were among the recipients, alongside nightlife-focused spaces such as Cyprus Avenue in Cork, Róisín Dubh and Monroe’s Live in Galway, Dolans in Limerick and Set Theatre in Kilkenny.
Recipients of the 2026 grants are expected to begin programming funded events over the coming months.
