Creative Places: Edenderry

An ambitious project putting people, place, and participation at the centre of cultural life in Edenderry

Creative Places: Edenderry builds on previous work Creative Lives delivered in the area, which brought people together to imagine what a more creative and cultural town would look like, and what steps could be taken to make those ideas a reality.

We work with people of all ages and backgrounds to create a richer, more inclusive, and more cohesive creative community in the town and surrounding areas. Over the first three years of the project (2021-2024), we’ve provided creative opportunities for professional artists, non-professional artists, community groups, and individuals. The project is being developed collaboratively by the people of Edenderry, with community ownership and sustainability at the heart of what we do together.

In numbers so far...

3 full years of activities, events, projects, meetings, and training sessions, attended by 4204 adults and 1640 children, with 62 artists and facilitators
261 Community Workshops
8 large-scale events
6 Creative Grants, 7 Seed Funding Grants, 7 Artist Commissions
7 Community Training Sessions and 10 information sessions
16 Community Consultations, 9 Steering Group Meetings, 7 Community Forum Meetings

Our first three years were themed Connect, Cultivate, Celebrate. In Year 4, our theme is Empower and Embed, and we will focus on training, mentoring, and the creation of a toolkit that the community can draw on for years to come.

All Creative Places: Edenderry projects are firmly rooted in Socially Engaged Art and Community Development Principles. Our aim is to be more ‘up front’ about these themes and explore them in a wide range of ways with the community, ensuring that they have a firm grasp on these principles moving forward into the next phase of the project and beyond.

Creative Places: Edenderry is supported by The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon (as part of their national Creative Places programme) in partnership with a governance team of local stakeholders, including Offaly Arts Office, Edenderry Municipal District Council, Offaly County Council Library Services, Offaly Local Development Company, and Community Forum.

You can find out more on the Creative Places: Edenderry website, or follow the project on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, please contact [email protected].