Cruinniú na nÓg is back!

Ireland’s national day of creativity for children and young people takes place on Saturday 11th June with 650 free events around the country.

Now in its fifth year, Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme supported by the Local Authorities and RTE.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin today encouraged young people to join in the fun of this year’s event, and participate in something creative in their local area.

With hundreds of free events, workshops, exhibitions and performances, and a

special focus on starter workshops to encourage young people to try something new, Cruinniú na nÓg is an opportunity for children and young people to fulfil a secret creative ambition or showcase their inner creative hero!

Highlights include:

• Twelve pop-up dance performances developed by local youth dance companies with support from Dance Ireland.

• Eight live Garageland concerts in Dublin, Meath, Donegal, Waterford, Tipperary, Kerry, Wicklow, Cavan and Monaghan featuring some of our best young bands.

• Circus skills workshops in Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network (ISACS) with dedicated venues in Cloughjordan, Cork, Dublin and Galway.

• Free access to creative activities in Killruddery House and Gardens in Wicklow, Kilmokea House in Wexford, Birr Castle in Offaly and Enniscoe House in Mayo.

• The Nenagh Children’s Film Festival to include screenings of 10 film shorts created by participating schools.

• 50 introductory youth theatre workshops throughout the country.

• The winning entries of This is Art will be announced.

• TG4 with support from the Gaeltacht division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media programme will screen 4 films made by Gaelscoileanna Transition Year students.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Art, Gaelacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD, said:

“We should be very proud that we are the only country in the world to have a day of free creativity for children and young people. Cruinniú na nÓg 2022 is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to not only showcase their creative skills but also try something new. With this in mind I am particularly pleased that there are so many starter workshops in this year’s programme. This could be the moment that sparks a child’s imagination and a lifelong love of culture and creativity”.

“I would especially like to pay tribute to the Culture and Creativity teams across the 31 Local Authorities who have curated a really impressive range of events for all ages and interests. And to our partners RTÉ who have been an invaluable supporter of Cruinniú na nÓg from the very beginning.”

Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person. It aims to celebrate and encourage children and young people’s participation in culture and creativity in activities such as art, music, coding and theatre workshops, performances, exhibitions, readings, film screenings and much more.

Cruinniú na nÓg takes place on Saturday 11th June next with full event details available at https://cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie/