Minister O’Donovan announces recipients of the 2026 ‘After Hours at the Museum’ Scheme to support later openings in museums and galleries

41 grants awarded to museums and galleries in towns and cities across the country

National Cultural Institutions also awarded funding to support a coordinated series of events for ‘Dublin by Dusk’

The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. has today announced the recipients of the ‘After Hours at the Museum’ scheme. This scheme was developed in support of a commitment in the Programme for Government to promote and support later openings in our museums and galleries and the ongoing development of a diverse Night-Time Economy in Ireland.

Commenting on the scheme, Minister O’Donovan said:

The funding of €423k announced today will support 47 organisations across the country to open later and programme events until at least 9pm.

Members of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI), Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA) and the Irish Museum Association were eligible to apply for up to €8,000 in funding to host later evening and night events.

Funding was also made available to six National Cultural Institutions in support of the pilot ‘Dublin by Dusk’ initiative which will provide a night of cultural activity after 5pm on the last Thursday of every month.

The full list of recipients can be found here.

ENDS

Note for Editors:

The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, published in September 2021, aims to create a more diverse Night-Time Economy sector for both the local community and visitors alike. Ireland’s cultural institutions, local museums and galleries have an important role to play in this, both by extending their opening hours into the later evenings, and through making their infrastructure available to provide the space/facilities for diverse types of night-time activities. Increased opportunities can be developed through collaboration between institutions and more diverse partners.

In 2023, the Department provided funding on a pilot basis to the National Cultural Institutions, museums and galleries to extend their opening hours to programme events. The scheme demonstrated the effectiveness of using cultural spaces at night and proved to be extremely popular with many of the smaller regional museums and galleries around the country who expressed that they would like to do more but would require further support to embed their later evening and night-time programme.

The ‘After Hours at the Museum’ Scheme for 2026 operated in two separate funding Strands.

Strand 1 Later Openings at the National Cultural Institutions (NCI’s)

This strand is in support of the Programme for Government commitment, the development of the NTE in Dublin, and the Dublin City Taskforce ambitions for the capital city, the department has developed a new pilot initiative, ‘Dublin by Dusk’ was developed in partnership with Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland and Dublin Town to promote and support a coordinated night of cultural activity after dark on the last Thursday of every month for a 10 month period. Funding of €165k was provided to support six NCI’s to lead and coordinate a series of events as part of the initiative.

Strand 2 Later Openings at regional museums and galleries

This strand supports the development of an inclusive and diverse NTE across the country and is in line with the Programme for Government commitment to promote and support later openings in our museums and galleries.

Grants of up to €8,000 were offered to members of the Irish Museum Association (IMA) and/or are a member of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) or a member of the Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA) to open until at least 9pm. The scheme is operating on a matched funding basis (85:15), where 15% of the proposed costs must be provided by the applicant.

Museums and Galleries in Dublin were required to programme on the last Thursday of the month to coincide with the NCI’s later evening and night-time programming in support of the ‘Dublin by Dusk’ initiative.

Funding of €258k has been provided to 41 organisations across the country to open later. Full details can be found here.

Requirements under the Scheme:

- The scheme will operate on a matched funding basis (85:15), where 15% of the proposed costs must be provided by the applicant.

- Applicants can apply for funding up to €8k to open later.

- Applicants must commit to opening until at least 9pm.

- All events must commence after 5p.m.

- There is no minimum or maximum number of events that can be held.

- Dublin city venues will be required to programme events to coincide with the late-night Thursday initiative every month.

- Events do not have to be free of charge. Venues may charge an entry fee, but where possible the costs should be kept low to ensure maximum participation, inclusivity and long-term sustainability.

- Events which can be funded include but not limited to, late evening or night tours, live music, live DJ, dancing (performative or participatory), exhibitions, poetry readings, comedy shows (Stand up, sketch or improvisation), theatre, film, live podcasts, storytelling, classes and health and wellbeing initiatives. Funding can be used towards operational costs, e.g. staff costs for opening later