The Irish Government’s Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht oversees the conservation, preservation, protection and presentation of Ireland's heritage and cultural assets. The Department also seeks to promote the Irish language and to support the Gaeltacht. One of its key functions is to support arts, culture, film and music, as well as to oversee Ireland's cultural institutions. The Department acknowledges the fine art and cultural heritage of the country by providing the capital infrastructure for the National Cultural Institutions, as well as influencing the development of the private sector cultural industry through appropriate financial support for projects supporting the cultural infrastructure in Ireland.

Visit the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s mission is to promote and protect abroad the values, interests and economic well-being of Ireland and its people. We do this under the political direction of our Ministers, through our staff at home and through our Embassy network abroad.

The Department’s Reconciliation Fund awards grants to organisations working to build better relations within and between the traditions in Northern Ireland, the North and South, and Ireland and Britain.

For more information visit https://www.dfa.ie/reconciliation

Over the years, the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre has premiered the work of major Irish playwrights such as Marina Carr, Frank Mc Guinness, Tom Murphy and a new generation of writers including Stacey Gregg, Nancy Harris and Elaine Murphy.  Our mission is to reflect and engage with Irish society through theatre. In our 110^th year, the vision of our founders W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory is alive and well. Our artistic programme of classic and new theatre and Education and Community programme provides a platform for debate and inspiration for generations of theatre lovers.  Our archive provides a fascinating into the development of Irish theatre and Irish life from 1904 onwards.

Visit the Abbey Theatre Archives

Crawford Art Gallery, a National Cultural Institution, is dedicated to the visual arts, both historic and contemporary. Located in the heart of Cork city, the Gallery welcomes over 200,000 visitors a year The permanent collection comprises over 2000 works, ranging from eighteenth century Irish and European painting and sculpture, to contemporary video installations, and includes Greek and Roman sculpture casts from the Vatican Museum in Rome. The collection is particularly strong in Irish art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Crawford Gallery is committed to fostering critical assessment, and acknowledgement of historical and contemporary art practice.

Visit the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork

Occupying a key position in the cultural and intellectual life of the nation, the National Archives holds the records of the modern Irish State which document its historical evolution and the creation of our national identity.

In keeping with our Mission Statement, we secure the preservation of records relating to Ireland which warrant preservation as archives and ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for public access to archives.

Our holdings relate to all parts of Ireland and have enormous research potential as they provide essential primary source material for people seeking to understand the political, economic and social forces which have shaped our nation. The records also permit the study of Government policy and encourage greater use of our archival heritage by the general public.

Visit the National Archives of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland collects and shares more than ten million published, visual and manuscript treasures. It welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to Kildare Street each year, and increasingly makes its collections available to everyone online.

It is the key source for Ireland's national and international literary heritage, and also holds vast archives of letters, diaries, and drawings. Together with more than 4 million Irish photographs - the largest such collection in the world - these riches all help to tell the evolving story of the nation, at home and abroad.

Visit the National Library of Ireland