“The Arts Council of Ireland has received a €5 million (£4.5 million) increase in the 2016/17 budget – equivalent to an 8% increase that will see its total funding rise next year to €65.1 million. In total, the arts budget for 2016/17 is €158.3 million (£142.7 million), although this is down 16% on the previous year. However, the decrease was attributed to one-off capital funding allocated in the previous budget for projects marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising.”