THREE more bands who took part in a Shankill tribute to a UVF killer have been awarded Arts Council funding for new instruments.
Between them, Cloughfern Young Defenders, Shankill Star and Goldsprings True Defenders have received £25,000 for the purchase of new drums and flutes in a funding round announced this week by the Department for Communities.
SUCCESSFUL: Shankill Star marching in the memorial parade for UVF killer Brian Robinson – they've been given £10,000 for new instruments by the Arts Council
Last December, the Arts Council awarded £30,000 in funding to three other bands which took part in the controversial annual parade. When we asked them about the funding awards to those bands, the Arts Council launched a review of the decision. They later told us that the three bands had not supplied information about their participation in the Brian Robinson parade in their funding applications. They then said they had sought and received from the three bands an assurance of their future commitment to “good relations”. As a result, the funding was released in full to the three bands, all of whom went on to give a two-fingered salute to the Arts Council by participating in this year’s Brian Robinson parade.
Despite the earlier furore caused by the awarding of funding to the three bands, the Arts Council have again awarded substantial sums to three other bands which took part in this year’s Robinson parade.
One of the bands, Goldsprings True Defenders, was embroiled in another controversy in the summer when the Orange Lodge with which it marches blocked a cross-community kids’ sports camp at North Down Cricket Club because of the participation of young GAA players.
FUNDING: We reported earlier this year that Goldsprings True Defenders had marched in a parade tribute to UVF man Trevor King – they also marched in last month's Brian Robinson parade and have been given £5,000 by the Arts Council
North Belfast SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said that despite repeatedly raising the issue directly with the Arts Council and the Department for Communities "we continue to see funding dolled out to flute bands who participate in parades which commemorate sectarian killers".
He added: “Arts funding in Northern Ireland is lower than anywhere else in the UK or Ireland. We have seen several fantastic community organisations forced to close their doors in recent months due to funding cuts. They will rightly feel aggrieved when they see that funding was found for this.”
In response the Arts Council said: "The Arts Council does not have a role to further investigate or designate whether to fund a band, beyond the eligible applications received. Whether a band participates in a legal parade that is deemed offensive by some and not offensive by others, is a bigger societal problem for politicians in Northern Ireland and one which has affected organisations and public bodies for many years now.
"ACNI recommends that matters like this are referred to the appropriate government body, perhaps the newly formed NI Executive body, the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (the OICE). We note that OICE, as part of the NI Executive, states it hopes to aid in a process where issues of Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition are no longer contested and contentious, but become a means by which we foster, develop and embed respect, a key outcome in the Programme for Government.
"ACNI would be very happy to discuss this issue with OICE officials through the Department for Communities as the official funder.
"The Musical Instruments Scheme is funded by the Minister for Communities through his department. The programme has three strands; for traditional and marching bands, for individual professionals and for performing groups. The aim of the scheme, administered by the Arts Council, is designed to increase the quality of music making across Northern Ireland. Grants awarded provide funding to help musicians and groups to purchase new instruments, with a focus on building skills and encouraging player development. In short, ACNI was requested by DfC to administer this scheme which provided £1.1m to bands of all kinds, including brass, accordion, flute, traditional, classical and more, and made a total of 134 awards across three stands in October 2025."
