Cultural Mobility and Connection: Ireland and the four nations of the UK research report captures the importance of artist and cultural professional mobility across Ireland and the four nations of the UK.

It provides insights and information from a contemporary vantage point focusing on the core of the creative ecology on these islands – artists and cultural professionals. It notes the strategic funds, partnerships and intergovernmental frameworks that support collaboration and mobility and provides analysis on data made available by the key national arm’s length bodies and government agencies in the Ireland – UK relationship. This research engaged with arm’s length bodies, arts and cultural policymakers, strategic cultural organisations, arts practitioners and cultural producers across the UK and Ireland. In total, 278 individuals participated through an online survey and semi-structured interviews.

As the first research report of its kind, it underscores the immense potential and appetite for further cultural collaboration between Ireland and the four nations of the UK. It highlights the drive, passion, creativity, and resilience of artists, producers, and cultural organisations and it provides a number of suggestions to drive growth, connection and new partnerships in the cultural ecosystem, building on current funding and initiatives across a range of organisations and bodies. 

Made possible by the generosity, collaborative spirit and collegiality of Arts Council Ireland, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Culture Ireland, Creative Ireland, Creative Scotland and Wales Arts International along with wider British Council colleagues, cultural organisations and professionals, this landmark cultural research project is a valuable beginning to better understanding the nuance, entwined and deeply important relationship between Ireland and the four nations of the UK.

The opportunities are grouped around policy development (steer), opportunities for strategic collaboration(collaboration), and support for artists and practitioners (support):

Steer
Steer the bilateral relationship through formalised structured partnerships and brokering at intergovernmental, arm’s-length agency and sectoral level with representative bodies and artform specialist agencies (arts centres, artists collectives, artists’ studios).

Collaboration
Collaborate on opportunities for strategic collaboration at an inter-agency level that would foster enhanced partnership-working and tangible measures to create a better-informed, well-evidenced and interconnected creative ecosystem across Ireland and the four nations of the UK.

Support
Create opportunity through funding, information and exchange initiatives for practitioners and producers, to create a more supported, equitable and inclusive cultural ecosystem.

Key insights

• Strategic partnerships and intergovernmental cooperation have an enabling influence, formally embedding culture, language and heritage as key areas of collaboration. 
• Ireland is a key international partner for the UK, positioned both as a close neighbour and an important cultural collaborator.
• Cultural exchange between Ireland and the UK occurs at multiple levels, from institutional partnerships to grassroots collaboration led by artists and practitioners. There is an organic desire to strengthen UK–Ireland cultural collaboration through cross-regional policy development and funding.
• Improved research, recording and tracking of mobility and cross-border projects would support more effective strategic planning and investment.
• Touring is a central mechanism for cultural engagement. Resource sharing, joint funding models, alternative travel approaches and optimised touring networks can support mobility while reducing environmental impact. 
• Festivals and collaborative cultural projects act as key cultural hubs, bringing artists, audiences and industry stakeholders together in ways that foster long-term partnerships. Events such as the Edinburgh Fringe, Dublin Fringe and Weft Studio have been significant in showcasing Irish work and expanding cultural networks.
• The nuance and difference of each nation is a unique strength in the UK-Ireland relationship in arts and culture.

Citation and licensing

Neely, A., & Morrow, J. (2025). Cultural Mobility and Connection: Ireland and the four nations of the UK (K. McCall Magan, Ed.). British Council. https://doi.org/10.57884/KJK0-2S65 

© British Council 2025. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses /by-nc/4.0/).