Northern Arts Council review into funding loyalist ‘kick the Pope’ bands
by Ciarán Barnes
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has been forced to review its policy of funding loyalist bands.
The internal evaluation comes on the back of a Daily Ireland story last year which revealed the organisation had handed over almost £100,000 (€145,000) to ‘kick the Pope’ bands.
Some of those to benefit from the huge cash injection included the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) supporting South Belfast Young Conquerors, the Ballee Blues and Royals in Ballymena and the Drumdeg flute band from Keady, Co Armagh.
The money that the arts council gave to the bands came from the National Lottery, which insists on the cash being spent on good causes.
Loyalist bands that successfully applied for funding claimed instruments and uniforms were bought with the grants.
After nationalist politicians raised concerns about how the funding was allocated the arts council was forced into a review.
Daily Ireland understands a report on the matter was completed recently, but will not be finalised until the end of the year. The arts council will then decide what future support to offer the sector.
Sinn Féin East Derry assemblyman Francie Brolly welcomed the review.
He said: “Many people have been asking very serious questions about how public money is being spent by the arts council.
“The money it gets is there to be spent on all groups across the North, not just a select few. It is time the arts council prioritised allocating funding on an equal basis.”
A spokesman for the arts council said: “It is routine for the arts council to periodically review each of its schemes to ensure that its resources are being allocated most effectively, and the review of the musical instruments scheme has recently been completed. This review, which will be presented to council at the end of June 2006, will inform the arts council’s decision on the future of the scheme.”
