Funding announced for projects under the State’s Research Ireland programme shows that more than €568,000 is to be provided for research into the gender balance in opera productions – with another €624,000 to be set aside for research into climate misinformation.
The State-funded agency, which was established by the Government to manage and distribute research and innovation funding, also provided €624,193.60 for research, led by the University of Galway, into tackling climate misinformation in Ireland – part of a project described as an Evidence Base and Novel Resources for Journalists and Communications Professionals (CliME).
A further €644,502.20 was given towards a University College Cork research project described as an UrbanClimateCollab: ‘Fostering Collaborative Partnerships for City Climate Action.’ A total of 36 projects are to be funded in this round.
The funding was announced last week by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD – with a total of €23 million going towardsResearch Ireland funding which the Government said would support early-career researchers.
‘FOR THE BIRDS,’ SAYS TD
Commenting today, Deputy Mattie McGrath said: “This is an incredible waste of money at a time when families are assessing whether they can afford to send their children to college. It’s a ridiculous use of taxpayer funds. The other angle here is that hardly anyone knows that this is happening – most taxpayers are completely unaware that the government is splashing out more than half a million euro on this kind of nonsense at a time when many are struggling to afford the necessities like heating and healthcare and groceries.
“This is for the birds. I know it’s silly season – but for Minister James Lawless to announce this kind of funding last week will come as a shock to many taxpayers.
“You’d think it was a joke, but this is Ireland. It’s especially striking amid Minister Lawless’s announcement on Sunday, on the six o’clock news, that the Government is cutting student fees. Support for students trying to get an education; to get on the job path and contribute to their country is being cut.
“Yet, here we are, with all this silly money – that’s what I would call it – it’s taxpayer’s money, but it is being used in a ridiculous way. This sort of funding for obscure projects is an affront to the hardworking taxpayers of this country. Why do we need to spend €568,000 on gender balance in opera? It is utter madness,” the TD said.
The funding relating to gender balance in opera music is to be led by Michael Lyon of the University of Galway. In a breakdown of the funding, it is noted that “in 2023, research into the gender balance of contemporary music found that only 1 of the 152 operas produced on the island of Ireland from 2004-19 was sole authored by a woman.”
The tender says: “This research will quantify the extent to which imbalances exist in Irish opera and qualify the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that have supported inequality. Building upon research that assesses the gender balance for publicly funded composer opportunities, gender in Irish theatre, and gender inequality in music industries in Ireland.”
It also says that the project will “provide insight into the experiences of and barriers to access experienced by women in Irish opera.” Additionally, it is stated that the study will “assess the gender balance of the key creative and leadership roles for Irish opera productions from 2000-25.”
This, it says, includes the following roles: composer, conductor, director, libretto, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer.
“The outputs of this research will include a series of articles in high impact journals and a series of ready-to-implement research- informed equality initiatives. Ultimately, this research will stimulate sustainable and systemic changes in Irish opera, thus enriching creativity and culture.”
Making the announcement last month, Minister Lawless said: “This investment, through Research Ireland’s Pathway programme, will support emerging researchers in their journey from postdoctoral work towards establishing themselves as independent investigators. The projects receiving funding span a broad range of disciplines, ensuring a broad impact on scientific discovery and societal progress. By aligning with Ireland’s national research priorities, these projects will help drive advancements in key sectors such as healthcare, environmental sustainability, history and education.”
Other awardees include the University of Galway for research into “tackling climate misinformation”, with this project co-funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Met Éireann).
The project, to be led by Brenda McNally, is outlined in the tender, which states:
“According to the UN IPCC rampant misinformation is delaying climate action. This is because it confuses the public about the need for urgent action and weakens democratic debate about the necessary responses. However, tackling climate misinformation is a complex challenge.
“Research has identified a shift from climate denial to delay discourses aimed at stalling climate policy responses, the role of a well-funded network of actors in its online dissemination, and the mainstreaming of delay discourses and misleading claims in legacy media. While the majority of studies examine individual-level correctives to address online climate misinformation, little is known about the professional-level factors that influence its proliferation in legacy media.
“Therefore, research that examines climate policy misinformation in news media and the power structures that facilitate this are now necessary. This project will carry out an in-depth, qualitative analysis of climate policy misinformation in Irish news media and strategic communication. It will identify and assess the current forms of misinformation about decarbonising agriculture (2020 –2025) and examine the socio-cultural factors that influence their (re)production in news media.
The tender also says that the findings “will support the co-creation of educational resources with journalists and communications professionals as well as recommendations for higher education and policymakers.”
CLIMATE JOURNALISM
Another piece of research entitled, ‘Posthumanist sociolinguistics and journalistic practices: Reporting on climate change in Irish and German media’ has been awarded with €613,968.27. It will be led by Sarah Schaefer of the University of Limerick.
An outline of the project states: “In view of the increasing severity of weather events and unprecedented meteorological extremes, climate journalism aims to inform and warn audiences about climate change and promote ways of mitigating global warming. These efforts have so far, however, shown too little effect, and European broadcasters are frequently criticised for their human-centred coverage and misrepresentations of climate change.
“Despite this criticism, there is a significant lack of knowledge about the interrelation between anthropocentric discourses and transmodal (i.e. linguistic and semiotic) reporting practices of radio journalists in climate coverage.
“Through a comparative study of Irish and German radio based on linguistic ethnography and a transmodal analysis of media messages, this project examines how journalists reporting on climate issues try to engage with and inform about the topic of climate protection.
“In this context, it sheds light on issues that lead to misrepresentations of climate change in Irish and German media to foster a meaningful engagement of journalists with climate change. By developing new approaches for climate-oriented communication based on posthumanist sociolinguistic perspectives, it responds to timely concerns about how humans conceive of their place in socio-ecological environments.”
The project’s results will be disseminated through academic publications and outreach activities for media stakeholders.
‘THE EMERGENCE OF EARLY FORMS OF XENOPHOBIA’
Separately, €601,669.20 has been awarded to University College Dublin for research into the representation of “Gypsies” in Italian renaissance comedies.
The project, to be led by Matteo Leta, is called “Staging Otherness: The Representation of “Gypsies”, Turks, and Moors in Italian Renaissance Comedies and their European Translations (c.1500-1650).” The tender says that the project will look at “early forms of xenophobia.”
The tender says: “Amidst the contemporary discourses surrounding diversity and inclusion, exploring the historical roots of our perceptions of the “other” becomes increasingly imperative. Renaissance Italy is analogous to present-day Europe in many respects. It witnessed a confluence of cultural encounters, hosting a significant number of refugees, while emerging as a hub for corsair activities and slave trade. But how were the “others” represented in this period?
It asks: “What are the similarities between the representations of different “others” and what are the factors that conditioned these representations?
“This project aims to examine the portrayal of “Gypsies”, Moors, and Turks in Italian Renaissance comedies and their European translations. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of over twenty comedies and their translations, this project will demonstrate that despite relying on ethnic stereotypes for comedic effect, their widespread popularity indicates a significant societal contemplation of diversity, highlighting a pressing need for coexistence during the 16th and 17th centuries.
“The research will consider the single plays, their position in relation to other comedies and the changing political background. A new understanding of relations with “others” will emerge, which will allow us to comprehend the emergence of early forms of xenophobia and offer examples and strategies for coexistence still relevant today.”
The funding for all projects will cover a four-year period, will support researchers and provide resources to establish independent research careers.
“This targeted investment will provide each project with additional support for a postgraduate student who will be primarily supervised by the awardee,” the Department said in a statement, adding:
“Co-funders in this Research Ireland Pathway programme investment are the Environmental Protection Agency (4 projects), Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2 projects), and Met Éireann (1 project), and have contributed a total of €1.7 million to the programme. ”
The 36 funded projects are to be hosted across 11 research institutions, including: Dublin City University (5); University College Cork (6); University College Dublin (5); Trinity College Dublin (4); RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences (3); Tyndall National Institute (3); University of Galway (6); Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (2); Maynooth University (1); Technological University Dublin (1); and University of Limerick (1).