Celebrating Cruinniú na nÓg 2025: Youth creativity takes centre stage with free events across Dublin
Get ready for a burst of imagination and youthful creativity at Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 on Saturday, June 7. Now in its eighth year, this national celebration showcases young people's creative expression through coding, circus, music, dance and much more.
There are over 1000 events across the country, with venues across Dublin getting in on the action.
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme, a culture-based initiative led by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media. As part of the Government's Shared Island initiative to enhance cooperation and connections across Ireland, Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 will include cross-community events for children and young people from the four corners of the island, featuring strategic partner projects Circus Explored, Youth Theatre Island and RTÉ This is Art! Wonder Walls are also joining as a strategic partner for 2025.
Ireland is the first, and only, country in the world to have a national day of free creativity for children and young people under 18, so make sure to explore what's happening in your local area!
We've highlighted a few events from around the city, but you can explore the full schedule of over 1000 events at cruinniu.gov.ie and rte.ie
Young People are invited to take over Swords Castle on June 7. From rising bands and solo acts to fresh new ensembles, this is a day about music, creativity and community. Watch featured acts on the Main Stage, perform on the spot on the Busking stage, step into the Chapel Session for poetry and unplugged sets, or simply craft your festival look at the Creative Village and soak in the vibes.
Step right up for a magical day of family fun at the Circus Picnic in the Park! As part of Cruinniú na nÓg, Dublin Circus Project are inviting families of all ages to enjoy a spectacular celebration packed with circus skills workshops, an unforgettable show, and a colourful community procession. Whether you're learning to juggle, enjoying a bite under the trees, or clapping along to amazing performers, there's something for everyone.
The Storytelling Through Photography and Presentation Workshop is a collaborative initiative between Dreamers Reality and Photo Ireland.
This one-day workshop is designed to empower young people aged 10-17, particularly those from underserved communities in Dublin, by equipping them with essential skills in photography, storytelling and presentation.
Following the success of The Night Is Young, a series of workshops for young DJs and bands, this showcase offers an opportunity for these young artists to showcase their talent.
This concert will feature the next generation of music makers and performers along with special guests. Head along for a Cruinniú na nÓg late event in collaboration with the Night-Time Economy Advisor and YMCA Dublin.
Step into Voyages, a unique exhibition curated by children, for children.
Led by artist and collaborator Róisín White, a group of 12 young people took part in six creative workshops to explore The Ark's visual art collection, learn about curation, and shape the final exhibition.
Voyages features artworks selected by the young curators for children aged 0–12. Voyages is an inclusive, creative celebration of children's ideas and imagination.
Unsung Youth is back and better than ever! This year for Cruinniú na nÓg the vibrant sounds of young musicians from across Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard will fill the air at an electrifying open-air concert in People's Park, nestled beside the Civic Centre in Ballyfermot.
Unsung Youth isn't just a music festival – it's a celebration of community and creativity, giving the talented youth of Dublin 10 a chance to shine on stage.
Bands, solo artists, and music ensembles will grace the stage with a captivating mix of cover songs, original compositions, and classical pieces. From rock anthems to soulful ballads, there's something for everyone to enjoy at Unsung Youth. And thats not all: The evening will see theatrical talents on show as the Ballyfermot Youth Theatre take to the FamiliBase theatre stage to present a surprise performance!
For more on these and hundreds more events around the country, visit cruinniu.gov.ie
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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
How €325 a month changed my life – I've never taken it for granted
In August 2022, after two years of pandemic shutdowns, the arts sector in Ireland was on its knees. It hadn't been doing too well before Covid-19 , but in the face of a global virus, it all but evaporated. Government restrictions forced cinemas, theatres, performance venues, galleries and any arts-related spaces to shut down. Tens of thousands of people lost their jobs , myself included. In an already struggling sector, it was the death knell for the careers of many artists and arts workers. After tireless work by the National Campaign for the Arts and Theatre Forum, former minister for arts Catherine Martin announced the introduction of a Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme. This was to be a three-year research project, funded by the EU, funnelled through the Irish government. It would cost between €150,000-€200,000. Out of 8,000 eligible applicants, 2,000 were selected in an anonymised and randomised process. I was one of those 2,000 people. The BIA was an intervention to try to save a sinking ship. The severe impact of the pandemic on artists and arts workers was preceded by years of financial cuts and dwindling budgets. The sector had suffered massive cuts during the 2008 recession, and funding never made its way back up to pre-recession levels. In short, being an artist in Ireland has meant living precariously, frequently working for below minimum wage, and often working for free. Let's take a deep breath together and move in time to the fateful moment that was 2020. It's impossible for me to see this number without feeling a shudder down my spine. And yet, before it became that unforgettable year in history, for me it was one of great hope and excitement. 2020 was going to be my year. I had worked very hard for more than 20 years to build the momentum I was finally reaping. After decades of failures, successes, more failures, rejections, heartaches, near misses and almost- theres, I was staring down the barrel of a good year. No, a great year. Following a critically acclaimed, sold-out run in 2019, a play I'd written, This Beautiful Village, was going back into the Abbey Theatre for production on the main stage for one month. After that, there would be a national tour. I got a publishing deal, I signed with a new agent at a big agency in London, and This Beautiful Village won Best New Play at the Irish Theatre Awards . This glorious moment had been a long time coming for me. And then, in a heartbeat, it all disappeared … poof … into thin air. READ MORE At the time, people were at pains to assure me that my show would come back once restrictions were lifted, that all would be righted. None of these people worked in the arts or entertainment. They did not understand that in this business, when you lose your slot, it's gone. As the pandemic raged on, the Abbey changed leadership, and I was not part of their new agenda. This is how it goes in showbiz. I spent a long, long time grieving this loss. And while I was not alone – many of my peers had also lost their work – it was an intensely lonely and solitary grief. I was the only person in my family who lost everything overnight. It was also an ambiguous loss. I couldn't point to something tangible and feel its absence, because it didn't happened. It was a 'supposed to be', sliding doors moment in my life. How can you miss something you never actually had? I sank into a deep depression. I felt broken. And to top it all off, I was sick. The week of the very first shutdown, I had surgery and was diagnosed with endometriosis. In addition to grief and loss, I was in constant, severe pain. My livelihood was gone, along with my identity, my sense of self. And I got completely and utterly lost in it all. I spent two years battling with my grief, and fighting for healthcare to treat my illness. I wasn't doing well with either. I'd heard rumours that a Basic Income for the Arts scheme was coming down the line but I wasn't going to hold my breath. When an official announcement arrived, and applications opened, I put my name forward, knowing full well that my chances were slim. A lot of arts sector workers were in a bad way, and I was by no means the worst. I was able to rent a home near my daughter's school, and was able to put food on the table. Not everybody had it that good. When I received word I'd been selected, a light went on inside me. The money would be a huge boost, of course, but also, I felt seen. I felt valued. As a writer, as an artist, that's not something you feel very often. Artists expend so much energy fighting for their worth to be adequately compensated that it's very easy to lose your sense of self-worth and belief. These are not flowery words, or luxury feelings, they are fundamental to the health and wellbeing of every human being. When someone shows you that they believe in you, as the BIA did for me, it shifts you on your axis. In a society that devalues artists, yet consumes art every single day, a sliver of belief can make a seismic shift in the person who creates that art. It turns out that €325 a week can not only help with groceries and doctors' bills, it also makes you feel like you're worth something. That the creativity you contribute to the world is, in fact, meaningful. [ 'Life changing' income scheme for artists means more spend time on work and fewer suffer from depression Opens in new window ] That first BIA payment I received came at a very dark time in my life. It was a ray of light, a beacon of hope that maybe, maybe , I'd be able to keep writing. Qualified to do exactly zero else, the only path for me was forward. There was guilt, of course. Selection had been randomised but, as I've said, there had been 8,000 applications. Only 2,000 were selected. I carried a sense of shame, that there were others more deserving than me. And nobody, nobody , who was selected talked about it. It was an unspoken agreement. Don't ask, don't tell. That's how dire things have gotten for artists in Ireland. Every month, a payment would go straight into my bank account. In the three years I've been part of this scheme, I've never once taken that money for granted. In tough times, when doctors' bills skyrocketed, those payments took the edge off a sharp knife. They gave me breathing space to try to navigate writing while sick and in pain during a pandemic. Even as the dreaded restrictions began to lift, and we put distance between ourselves and the darkest days of the pandemic, that €325 continued to help with medical bills. 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The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Artists to receive an extra €8,450 as Basic Income for the Arts scheme extended until next year
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