Culture vultures in the west are almost twice as likely to have attended a dedicated arts festival over the last year than the rest of the country – proving the positive impact of the Galway International Arts Festival and the plethora of summer gatherings in and around the city.

One of the regional findings from the Arts Council’s annual Arts Insights survey reveals that 22 per cent respondents from the Connacht/Ulster region attended a dedicated arts festival over the last year – as opposed to the national average of 13 per cent.

But on the downside, ‘limited choices and poor quality’ was the reason why 55 per cent of respondents in Connacht/Ulster didn’t go to events more often – significantly higher than the national average of 31 per cent.

Connectivity was also an issue; 38 per cent of people in Connacht/Ulster listed distance as a barrier compared to 23 per cent of the total population.

From a positive perspective, 62 per cent of people in Connacht/Ulster were ‘extremely satisfied’ with the overall experience of the arts event they attended compared to 48 per cent of the total population.

Nationally, the Arts Council report shows that Irish arts audiences are returning to pre-Covid levels; 83 per cent of people surveyed in 2024 attended at least one arts event in the previous twelve months – precisely the same figure as Connacht/Ulster.

That was up eleven per cent on 2023 and slightly higher than pre-pandemic 2018, when 82 per cent of people indicated that they had attended at least one arts event.

Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly welcomed the return to pre-Covid level audiences.

“Increased levels of arts investment by the government have played a pivotal role in supporting the sector through the challenges of the past few years, but it is clear from the survey findings that cost and economic factors remain key barriers to arts attendance,” she said.

Regionally, the survey also reveals that people in Connacht/Ulster are more likely to have attended a Country Music event (26 per cent, compared to 14 per cent of the total population) and Street Arts (27 per cent, compared to 19 per cent nationally).

But those in the west were well satisfied with their experience, with 42 per cent – as opposed to 27 per cent nationally – felt that the ‘quality of professional arts presented in Ireland are on a par with those you would experience in any European country’.

And 45 per cent of people in Connacht/Ulster strongly agreed that as much importance should be given to providing arts amenities as is given to providing sports amenities – compared to 34 per cent nationally.

Established in 2018, the purpose of Arts Insights is to establish rigorous statistical measures on the Irish public’s attitudes and behaviours relating to arts and culture; and how these correspond with other consumer and lifestyle behaviours.

For the 2024 survey, in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of over 1,000 adults ages 16+ were carried out by Ipsos B&A, on behalf of the Arts Council.

Responses to the survey highlighted that the cost of activities and value for money are key concerns for audiences when deciding whether to attend arts events.

The survey results also highlight concerns around equality of access to arts experiences.

Only twelve per cent of respondents strongly agreed that ‘there are equal opportunities for everyone living in Ireland to attend and participate in the arts regardless of class, age, ethnicity or disability.

And 31 per cent of those who wish they could attend the arts more often say that there is limited choice or poor quality of this type of event where they live.

Pictured: Crowd pleaser…Pegasus by Planète Vapeur bringing the fantastical and magical to life on the streets of the city centre during Galway International Arts Festival last summer. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.