Irish teenagers to receive €100 voucher to spend on culture in budget

Teenagers in Ireland are set to receive a €100 voucher from the government to spend on cultural events.

The new initiative for 16-year-olds will be launched in next month’s budget, according to RTÉ. Should it be successful, the scheme could also be extended to include all 17-year-olds in next year’s budget.

Those eligible will be able to redeem the card via digital download, giving them access to cinemas, theatres and live music venues.

Patrick O’Donovan, Irish Minister for Arts, Media and Culture, is expected to finalise his department’s budget allocation with Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers in the coming days.

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The final specifics of the planned €100 voucher are currently being worked on by O’Donovan. It is reported that the initiative could cost the government between €7 and €8million.

Some other European countries – including France, Spain and Italy – already have their own versions of these culture cards, ranging in value from €300 to €500, in a bid to get youngsters out, investing and engaging with the arts.

In early 2025, Ireland’s Programme For Government committed to an “examination of the introduction of a culture card for 16 and 17-year-olds”. The department then started the preliminary stages of contacting potential stakeholders and partners for the scheme.

Some Government TDs have also called for sporting venues to be included in the initiative.

O’Donovan has looked into whether the proposed culture card might also apply to participatory activities such as workshops, classes and community-based experiences, too.

Earlier this year, Fianna Fáil TD Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere shared his party’s plans for a €100 culture card to be given to Irish citizens on their 18th birthday. However, it remains unclear if 18-year-olds will benefit from the proposed scheme.

In 2024, Sinn Féin launched its proposal for a €130 card to encourage young people and children’s participation in culture and sport. This came after some surveys found that the number of young adults attending live events since the COVID-19 pandemic had decreased significantly.

Last autumn, the Irish government approved plans to permanently implement a basic income scheme for over 2,000 creative workers and musicians in 2026, under this year’s budget. The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme was first piloted in 2022.

In the spring of 2025, the government announced a €500,000 fund to help support grassroots music venues in the country.

“Grassroots music venues are an integral part of the music ecosystem in Ireland and are vital to our communities,” O’Donovan explained at the time. “I want to support these venues so they can give opportunities to new and emerging artists and give them spaces to perform, develop their skills, and build their audiences.”

Meanwhile, Ireland’s Slane Castle is due to host two massive Oasis shows next September as part of the band’s Live ’27 tour. In June, Fontaines D.C. are scheduled to play a pair of huge outdoor concerts at the venue. The latter band will become only the third Irish act to headline Slane Castle, following Thin Lizzy in 1981 and U2 in 2001.