Almost a fifth of €1.43 million in grant aid announced yesterday by Minister for Arts John O'Donoghue for festivals around Ireland this summer has been allocated to events in his constituency.
A sum of €280,775 has been allocated to four festivals in Kerry South, from a total of 30 cultural events around Ireland that will benefit.
In the Minister's constituency Killarney Summer Fest will benefit to the tune of €145,000, Ireland Bike Week in Killarney gets €58,000, Féile na Bealtaine in Dingle nets €45,000, while Walk Killarney gets €32,000.
By comparison the neighbouring Kerry North constituency gets €50,000 towards festivals - €40,000 for the Rose of Tralee and €10,000 for the Bumblebee Children's Festival in Tralee.
The highest funding of €200,000 went to the International Garden Festival in Emo Court, Co Laois. The Killarney Summer Fest came second, while Galway Arts Festival secured €128,000. A spokesman for the Minister said last night that there was no question of favouritism for Kerry or his constituency as Mr O'Donoghue had no say in the allocation of grants.
"The decisions on funding for festivals are carried out by an independent board in Fáilte Ireland," the spokesman said.
"The Minister has no part in the decision-making process whatsoever. He has absolutely no role. It is assessed locally within Fáilte Ireland."
The spokesman said the job of announcing the funding fell to the Minister as Fáilte Ireland was an arm of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, and the funding was channelled through the department.
It was not surprising that a significant amount of funding went to Kerry as it was one of the country's main tourism centres, the spokesman said.
FESTIVAL GRANTS: who got what
Kilkenny Arts Festival €110,000
Galway Arts Festival €128,000
International Garden Festival, Emo Court, Co Laois €200,000
Killarney Summerfest €145,000
Waterford Spraoi €54,200
Festival of World Cultures, Dún Laoghaire €40,000
Rose of Tralee €40,000
Cork Midsummer Festival €59,680
West Cork Chamber Music Festival €46,500
Gradam Cheoil, Cork Opera House €27,000
National Ploughing Festival, Tullamore, Co Offaly €30,000
Foynes Flying Boat Festival, Foynes, Co Limerick €32,000
Féile na Bealtaine, Dingle, Co Kerry €45,000
Limerick Riverfest €35,500
Dublin Theatre Festival €45,000
Dublin Fringe Festival €38,000
Hunt Museums - Radical Chic and Celebrating Limerick Silver €34,350
Street Performance World Championship,Dublin €36,000
Eigse Carlow Arts €25,000
Walk Killarney €32,200
Kinsale Arts Week €25,375
EV+A Exhibition of Visual Art, Limerick €20,950
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Tullamore, Co Offaly €50,000
Ireland Bike Week, Killarney, Co Kerry €58,575
Cork Choral Festival €21,279
Dublin Film Festival €12,000
Nyah Traditional Festival, Cavan €11,700
Samhlaoicht Easter Arts and Bumblebee Children's Festival, Tralee, Co Kerry €10,000
Summer Music on the Shannon, Limerick €6,000
Bray Jazz Festival €11,700