The Joan Trimble Bursary Awards are open for application. Administered by The Fermanagh Trust, the bursary scheme was set up in 2002 in memory of the Enniskillen-born musician and composer. Established by her family, the Awards recognise Joan’s lifelong commitment to County Fermanagh and their purpose is to encourage the involvement of young people in creativity, the performing arts and Irish culture.

Areas of support for individuals up to and including 25 years of age include: specialist education training sessions and courses; international cultural programmes; participation in master classes and summer schools. To qualify, applicants must be living in Fermanagh, or be / have been in full time education in County Fermanagh, or at University /in Higher Education but officially resident in Fermanagh.

Recent recipients include Anna Toal and Lucy Toal who received funding to attend the NI National Youth Senior Choir 2022 in July. Clodagh Sweeney used her award to attend a Summer Musical Intensive course at Lir Academy in Dublin.

Musician Luke Beirne is part of emerging band ‘Enola Gay’ that has a full-scale tour with 31 performances booked. His dream is to perform around the country and Europe and now he can, with help from the Joan Trimble Bursary Awards.

Liz McVey, granddaughter of the late Joan Trimble commented “We are delighted to have supported so many talented young people in previous years who are so deserving of the experiences. We hope to reach even more young people with these bursary awards and very much wish that others will gain valuable skills as they progress in their fields. The Joan Trimble Bursary Awards are pleased to be able to encourage wider access to the arts in this way.”

There is no minimum grant, and bursaries up to a maximum of £1,000 per academic year are available to individuals. In exceptional circumstances, a higher award may be considered. Closing date for applications is December 1. For more information or to download an application form visit www.fermanaghtrust.org / Tel: 028 66 320 210 / E: gemma@fermanaghtrust.org