.
Anthony O’Gara, CEO of the Rose Of Tralee International Festival.
FÁILTE Ireland has been criticised by the Rose of Tralee International Festival CEO about the cut in funding for the festival this year.
Anthony O’Gara was speaking on Radio Kerry’s ‘Kerry Today’ programme this morning, where he said the cut was “a bit of a snub to Tralee and Kerry and it’s not good enough.”
Earlier this year the tourism development agency said the decision to cut funding for the Rose Festival by 50% from €30,000 to €15,000 was because it takes place at the height of the summer season and it wanted to focus on promoting off-season events instead.
Continued below…
.
The festival, which draws tens of thousands to the town and Kerry over a week in August, costs €1.3m to run.
Mr O’Gara said they had tried in every possible way to reach out to Fáilte Ireland and appeal for support for the festival but they “have been treated like a fifth division festival when, in fact, we’re probably the proudest and biggest festival in the country. We’ve put it behind us because the €15,000 we’re getting to a budget of €1.3m is meaningless in effect.”
