Fingal County Council is delighted to announce an exciting and varied programme for Cruinniú na nÓg which takes place on Saturday, 10th June 2023. Cruinniú na nÓg, Creative Ireland’s annual day of free creative activity for children and young people, has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2018. It is an event that is unique to Ireland and is the flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan which aims to enable the creative potential of children and young people.
This year Fingal are going big for Cruinniú na nÓg with an exciting and varied programme of events happening across the County. All events are free to attend, and details about each event can be found in the Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 brochure, also available at your local library or on the Council’s website.
Here is a taster of what’s in store across Fingal on Saturday, 10th June:
Mini Festival at Millennium Park, Blanchardstown
- Interactive workshops with authors & illustrators Niamh Sharkey and Mary Murphy
- Classical Music for Kids from the Baby Bop Orchestra (commissioned by Fingal Arts Office)
- Sensory Storytime sessions with Childvision
- Graffiti Art workshops with Street Ark Ink and Lego workshops with Bricks4Kidz
- Circus performances from the heroes of Irish circus, the Fanzini Brothers
Events at your local Fingal Library
- Interactive workshops with author’s Shane Hegarty, Eve McDonnell, Alan Nolan and Erika McGann at Balbriggan, Skerries, Malahide, Howth and Blanchardstown Libraries
- Make a Movie on your mobile with Createschool at Balbriggan and Malahide Libraries
- Music workshops with the Mobile Music School at Rush and Baldoyle Libraries
- Weaving Workshop from Wicklow Willow at Swords Library
- STEAM workshops from the Fingal Makerspace at Blanchardstown Library
- Art workshops with illustrator Úna Woods and artists John Carpenter, Kim Jenkinson, and international artist and designer, Kriti Khatri
Fingal Arts office Events
- Celestial Mechanics – an exhibition of paintings by the children of St. Philip’s NS, Dublin 15, with artists Aileen Murphy and Mary Jo Gilligan and guided tour at the Dunsink Observatory
- A New Beat: dance and music workshops for youth culminating in a performance at the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre
- Music Generation Fingal: vocal, guitar, song writing & recording workshops for young people at Burgundy House, Swords
- From the Earth: an installation of newly created ceramic artworks by the children of St. Luke’s National School, Tyrrelstown, and artist Edel Clarkson
- Irish Legends: a showcase of unique theatre sketches based on old Irish legends by the children of Scoil an Duinninigh and Gaelscoil Bhrian Boroimhe, Swords, with professional theatre makers Sean and Niall McDonagh.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Howard Mahony commented, “For all the young people across Fingal, this year’s programme of events for Cruinniú na nÓg is guaranteed to arouse curiosity and ignite the imagination. With over 30 events running across a variety of venues including Millennium Park and in our libraries, I encourage families and young people to explore the programme of events. The Cruinniú programme is an important part of the services offered to young people by Fingal and allows for access to creative activities in an inclusive and accessible way.”
Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator for Fingal, Lilian Whelan added, “Cruinniú na nÓg is the annual day of free creativity for children and young people and has become an important fixture in the Fingal calendar. This year we’re going big with a creative village in Millennium Park, activities across the library network and some really special events in music, storytelling and art. The 10th of June is guaranteed to be a fun and creative day for all the family where kids of all ages can try something new and creative. No matter where you are in Fingal, there’s sure to be an event near you that’ll bring out your creative side.”
Working In partnership with the 31 Local Authorities and supported by RTÉ, Creative Ireland works tirelessly to create a day where families and young people can participate in a wide range of fun creative activities that are all free.
Fingal County Council’s Cruinniú na nÓg programme has been collaboratively developed by the Creative & Cultural team which is made up of cross departmental representatives with skills in many different areas of expertise.