The Presidential Cultural Fund
Breathing Life Into Ireland's Future
For decades, our nation has been defined by a paradox: a people rich in artistic heritage, but whose state institutions often fail to translate that wealth into living, breathing contemporary culture. As an independent presidential candidate, I am proposing a radical and actionable remedy: The Presidential Cultural Fund.
Originally conceived as a symbolic gesture—a reduction in the President’s salary—this initiative has grown into something far more ambitious. Rather than cutting costs alone, I propose that at least half of the President’s €330,000 salary be redirected toward a perpetual investment in the Irish imagination. The goal: to spark a national cultural revival that is both grassroots and globally resonant.
A New Cultural Contract
One of the most powerful mechanisms of this revival will be recognition. Every competition under the Presidential Cultural Fund will include awards, trophies, medals, and cash prizes, designed to celebrate not just excellence but effort. Submissions will be divided by multiple age brackets, beginning as early as age five, ensuring that even the youngest minds in Ireland are not just consuming culture—but creating it.
This will create a dynamic new pathway where children grow up associating Gaeilge not with obligation, but with joy, innovation, and reward. As they write, draw, animate, sing, or act as Gaeilge, they will not only grow in fluency, but in identity. This initiative could mark a tipping point where Irish begins to re-emerge—not as a second language—but as our first and truest one, spoken across generations within a single lifetime.
At its heart, the Presidential Cultural Fund is more than a grant scheme—it is a cultural covenant. One that commits one of the highest offices in the land not to passive ceremonialism, but to active cultivation of Ireland’s most underutilized national resource: our creative youth.
Monthly competitions will be launched across six key domains (subject to change):
Animation – Developing original concepts or reimagining’s of ancient Irish myths, producing storyboards to a high professional standard, with the aim of securing collaboration with top-tier animation studios in Japan, Cartoon Saloon in Ireland, and other studios around the world. Translating these storyboards into actual animations and securing a studio can be a very lengthy process, which leads me to sceálgrafs . Traditionally, many animations begin as manga, manhwa, or comic books. It’s time for Ireland to put their own spin on it.
Sceálgrafs (Irish graphic novels and comics) – Ireland has given the world poets, playwrights, and dreamers—but we barely have a footprint in one of the fastest-growing global storytelling mediums. With Sceálgrafs, we can create our own powerful, original tradition of illustrated stories—fusing Irish myth, history, and imagination for national and international readers.
Modern-Traditional Music Fusion – Supporting musicians who fuse Irish instruments with popular genres such as EDM, metal, pop, hip-hop and R&B, etc. This also goes for instrument manufacturers who can create something new and ingenious. I want to know if a distorted electric harp weeps or squeals. Who is going to write the EDM ceilí banger that will be a household name at every school in Ireland?
Film and TV – Encouraging original Irish storytelling in mainstream cinema and series. Where is our TV series about the humble GAA school boy who dreams of being an all-star? Where is our cinematic masterpiece of Brian Boru's struggle as the last uncontested King of a united Ireland before its decline?
Literature & New Myth – Forging new myths in the Irish tradition through novels, stories, and theatre. Where is the legend born in Mayo bogland or a Connemara storm? Where is the epic that speaks to our people now — and still feels ancient?
Irish Dance – A proud tradition and vital expression of Irish identity, Irish dance will have its own dedicated competition track. We will encourage both traditional and experimental forms—allowing young choreographers to create hybrid works. Riverdance doesn't need to be our only claim to fame in the world of dance.
Submissions will be family-friendly and strong preference will be given to entries submitted in Irish (as Gaeilge). This will not be a closed circle, but a national festival of imagination.
Structural and Symbolic Commitments
This fund is not a vanity project. It is backed by my pledge to donate at least 50% and up to 100% of the Presidential pension post-term to ensure the Fund’s permanence.
TG4 and International Collaboration
I have appealed to TG4 to act as a central narrative commissioner. I want this to be a huge monthly event to look forward to on TV. Their programming has proven that Irish-language content can be both world-class and culturally grounding.
A cultural exchange program could also follow, sending young Irish animators to Japan to master the highest levels of visual storytelling—and return with tools to create a sovereign Irish animation tradition.
All-Island and Diaspora Inclusion
Irish is older than any political border. This Fund will include artists from Northern Ireland. Our mythologies, languages, and dreams do not stop at customs lines. Every Gaeilgeoir is a national asset.
Tax-Sovereign Contribution Model
I am also seeking to build a new philanthropic model that allows cultural icons and successful individuals to channel their tax obligations into this fund directly, creating a sense of civic ownership and legacy. Imagine if even 10% of Irish musicians, athletes, or tech leaders funded monthly cultural competitions in Irish. We would have not just art—we’d have ambition.
Conclusion: A Cultural Mission, Not a Career
The Irish Presidency must not be a retirement plan. It must be a cultural mission. If elected, I will work continuously—in and out of office—to ensure this Fund survives beyond me.
This is not just about culture. It is about sovereignty of the soul. About ensuring the next generation doesn’t just inherit a nation, but a living tradition they can reshape and call their own.
The arts must not just survive. They must thrive. And from this, Ireland will not just remember who she is—but discover what she can become.
— Aodh mac Cumahill
Independent Candidate for the Presidency of Ireland
www.project35.ie