Over 700 free creative activities nationwide for under 18’s as part of Creative Ireland Programme initiative supported by the local authorities and RTÉ
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan TD, is calling on all children and young people to fire up their imaginations and take part in one of the hundreds of free Cruinniú na nÓg events that will take place around the country on Saturday 15 June 2019.
Now in its second year, Cruinniú na nÓg celebrates and encourages participation by children and young people in creative activities in their local neighbourhoods and communities. Led by the local Creative Ireland Programme teams across the 31 local authorities, with huge support from local artists, arts organisations, creative practitioners and community festivals, activities include everything from shield making to game coding and Japanese kite making to dark-room photography and tapestry weaving workshops. With a strong emphasis on participation, there are lots of starter workshops specially designed to spark an interest and encourage the inner creative in children to try something new or fulfil a secret ambition!
Some of the highlights of this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg include:
- An inter-generational workshop of craft weaving and tapestry making at the Tallaght Mosque, South Dublin
- Join the next generation of Steven Spielbergs and Lenny Abrahamsons at a convention of young film makers in Limerick
- Learn the beauty and ritual of traditional dances of Bere Island in a special celebration of island life and culture, County Cork
- Explore the hidden treasures of our coastal landscape with a creativity filled seaweed safari in Malin Head, Donegal
- Learn how to dress to impress for less in an upcycling and sustainable fashion making workshop in Ballinasloe, County Galway
- Join the Mud Bug club and learn how to reproduce the intricate patterns in The Dock, Leitrim
- Meet Feargal the dragon with a rather hot temper in an interactive story-telling concert with the London Symphony Orchestra Ensemble at the National Concert Hall, Dublin
- Learn the secrets of glue and gore in a special effects for stage and screen workshop in Tralee, Kerry
Speaking at the announcement of this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan TD said:
Ireland is the only country in the world to have a dedicated day of free creativity for our children and young people. Although only in its second year, Cruinniú na nÓg has already grown in ambition and scale with almost double the number of free activities taking place across the length and breadth of the country this year. This unique and important initiative helps us to deliver on our promise to enable the creative potential of every child and to give them the sense of accomplishment that comes with participating in a creative project that really triggers their imaginations.
Each of the activities and events have been carefully curated by our network of passionate and committed Culture and Creativity teams across the country. I would like to particularly thank the 31 local authorities and RTÉ, who have been enthusiastic partners and collaborators on this event from the beginning, and also the many artists, arts and youth organisations, creative practitioners, festivals and communities who have helped to make this exciting new day of youthful creativity for children and young people a brilliant success.
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD, added:
As a committed supporter of the all-of-Government Creative Ireland Programme, I am very proud of the pivotal role which my Department and the local authorities are taking in supporting the creativity and wellbeing of our youngest citizens. Through the passion, care and investment by our 31 Culture and Creativity Teams, creativity is transforming our communities and Cruinniú na nÓg has a vital role to play in advancing this development.
I am particularly pleased that all Cruinniú na nÓg events are locally based and free so that as many children and young people as possible will have the opportunity to participate. I would encourage everyone to check out what is happening in your local area and to avail of the opportunity to make this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg the spark that ignites your child’s imagination and adventures in creativity.
Dee Forbes, Director-General, RTÉ, says:
Creativity and community are at the heart of RTÉ's new mission statement. They are also core principles of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Cruinniú na nÓg, which makes this partnership especially important for us. Encouraging and supporting opportunities for children and young people to come together to experience and explore their creative potential is a brilliant initiative. The diversity of creative activities available from gaming to a starter course in stop-start animation to Japanese kite-making is part of what makes Cruinniú na nÓg so unique.
RTÉ supports over 130 arts and cultural events every year so recognizing and enabling artistic endeavor and creativity is something we take very seriously. We look forward to sharing in the excitement and fun on Saturday 15 June when the next generation of Ireland’s future creatives take centre stage on this very special day.
Full event details for Cruinniú na nÓgare available at creativeireland.gov.ie
#MyCruinniu #CruinniuToCreate
Notes to Editors:
The Creative Ireland Programme is a five-year all-of-government, culture-based initiative, led by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, that emphasises the importance of human creativity for individual, community and societal wellbeing. www.creative.ireland.ie
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme supported by the Local Authorities and RTÉ. It is one of 18 actions of Creative Youth – a plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person. The first Cruinniú na nÓg, featuring over 500 free creative activities, took place on Saturday 23 June 2018.
The Creative Ireland Programme commissioned a series of short videos featuring a range of Creative Heroes including Jim Sheridan, Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh, Liz Roche, Helen Steel, Nuala Goodman and Owen Roe to build awareness and promote participation in this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg.
As part of the Creative Ireland Programme, each of the 31 local authorities has established a Culture and Creativity Team bringing together arts officers, librarians, heritage officers, archivists and other relevant expertise to foster and encourage creative activity. A Creative Ireland Coordinator from within each Culture Team, works closely with the Creative Ireland Programme office, to lead and implement a bespoke Culture and Creativity plan delivering a range of Creative Communities projects at local level.