Will the £350,000 which the Budget promised for events to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of the first Arts Act, which established the Arts Council, help to stage the Council's funeral? The Minister's department will be drafting new arts legislation next year, and if it stays within the parameters set by her discussion document, it may scrap the Arts Council as we know it and give the department a policymaking role.

Ominously, the Department's press release on the Budget allocation describes next year as marking "the final year of the current Arts Plan, for which the Government has provided funding of £100 million". Those arts plans were always meant to be "rolling" - but there is no mention here of another plan.

It is interesting that the Department is talking of marking the passing of the first arts legislation, not the establishment of the first Arts Council. By contrast, the Arts Council's current plan makes much of its 50th anniversary. A task force to stage the anniversary is, apparently, to be made up between the Council and the Department. Its work may be difficult, with the Council trying to get its hands on funds to celebrate itself and the Department perhaps looking to celebrate the Council's disbandment.

Today's meeting of the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art could mark a crucial stage in the controversy and court proceedings surrounding plans to advertise the job of director currently held by Declan McGonagle. Although it is not quite clear whether it will be a board meeting in the formal sense, which the director would attend, or a meeting of board members, which he would not necessarily attend, the meeting is likely to be a vital indicator of the board's support for either the director, McGonagle, or the chair, Marie Donnelly.

The board, which is expected to vote on the issue, is understood to be split. While no one is quite sure how the vote will go, it will effectively be a vote of confidence in the chair. If the board votes against Donnelly, she will have little choice but to resign; if it votes with her, it could make McGonagle's position virtually untenable.

More gallery troubles: there are 147 signatories to a petition voicing "grave concern" at events at the Project Arts Centre, where the contract of the Visual Art Officer, Valerie Connor, is to be terminated at the end of the year. Among the names on the petition are those of artists Willie Doherty, Dorothy Cross, Brian Maguire, Samuel Walsh, Grace Weir, Mark Joyce, Fionnuala Ni Chiosain and Daniel Jewesbury. Peter FitzGerald, the editor of Circa art magazine, and the artist Brian Hand have written to the board asking them to overrule the Artistic Director, Kathy McArdle, and to rescind the decision to let Connor go. They also state their fear that there is no visual arts policy for Project beyond December and reject the "downgrading of the visual arts profile of Project". A board meeting on Monday will consider the crisis.

The Artistic Director of Project was not available for comment yesterday.

You have to hand it to the Frankie Kennedy Winter School of traditional music in Dunlewley, north-west Donegal, for sheer brass neck. There were none of your Celtic Tiger-style high-gloss brochures sloshing around in July for the event, which takes place between Christmas and New Year; the programme was only hammered down last week. And what a programme it is! As well as classes in traditional instruments in Ionad Cois Locha, nestled beside a lake under Errigal Mountain, there are concerts including Liam O Maonlai singing and playing with turbo-charged guitarist, Steve Cooney; ace fiddler Tommy Peoples playing with Paul Brady; fiddler Paddy Glackin playing with the wonderful singer Micheal O Domhnaill; fiddler Dermot McLaughlin playing "with friends"; and Altan playing what are usually two storming homecoming concerts.

That's not to say the programme is actually ready. Director Gearoid O Maonaigh is still playing around with ideas. There may be accompanied walks around the lakes and art sessions on the theme of "the colours of music".

The school, established in memory of the late, great Altan flautist, Frankie Kennedy, will be opened by Donal Lunny on December 28th, the last concert is on January 2nd, and the magic is absolutely guaranteed. Tel. 075-31639