Louth set for fun filled day of creativity for Cruinniú na nÓG

Cruinniú na nÓg, an annual day of free creativity for children and young people, takes place this year on Saturday, June 15th.
The national programme of events is funded by Creative Ireland, and the Louth programme is delivered by Louth County Council and the Louth Creative Ireland Culture Team.

The Cruinniú na nÓg programme encourages children to embrace their creativity and get involved in Arts and cultural activities.

All events are free of charge and there are creative workshops, performances and activities for all to enjoy right across the county.

There will also be a display of winning entries and other submissions from the Cruinniú na nÓg county-wide art competition, WOWTH! at Dundalk Library on the day.

Here are the events across the county:

Carlingford
In Carlingford, artist Leonora Reilly will lead a Plein-Air painting workshop and a Monster Doodle and story-time will take place at Carlingford Library.

Meanwhile in Lordship, a summer-themed art workshop will take place at Pebble Lane Studios with artist Helen Mortimor.

Dundalk
Market Square will be a hive of activity, with a fun filled day of adventure and creativity guaranteed!

There will be giant mural workshops, spray painting sessions with art facilitator Michael Stafford, a pop-up escape room, puppet shows and AAEX teens will host stop motion workshops.

Creative Spark FabLab will also be there with their highly successful outdoor playground and shape construction which was a huge success last year.

Down the street at An Táin Arts Centre, a variety of workshops will be on offer on creative mindfulness, film making, podcasting and storytelling as well as drumming workshops with one specifically for children with sensory needs.

Over in Dundalk Library there will be Lego workshops on building your own car and making Lego jewellery, and a special parent and baby messy play workshop with Beyond the Bump to make sure our littlest citizens can also get involved in the day’s activities.

Mess Chef will host a baking workshop with Coxes Demesne Youth and Community Project, encouraging young bakers in this group to get messy and enjoy delicious treats.

Bridge Street Studios will host a day of creative workshops on pottery, watercolours, and a variety of other artistic techniques with their expert team of tutors at their studios.

Artist Olga Duka will host art workshops at Craobh Rua, Muirhevnamor where young artists are invited to design a mythical fern flower.

M.A.D. Youth Theatre encourage teenagers to come to their theatre space in Earl Street to try out drama techniques with their team of tutors where fun is guaranteed!

Finally, a Maritime Mystery Trail starting and ending at County Museum awaits junior detectives who have the savvy to solve the mystery!

Under the Night Time Economy fund from Creative Ireland, Dundalk Youth Centre and Dundalk Outcomers have teamed up to participate in a variety of workshops including mural design and creation with Omin, drumming workshops with Daire Stanley and screen printing for merchandise design with Gráinne Murphy at Creative Spark.

On June 15th, the mural painted at the newly renovated Outcomers centre will be unveiled, and a live performance of local teenage bands will take place in the Spirit Store that night.

Ardee
Dee Hub hosted a special workshop in May with the Rhyme Island Team who worked with members of the New Leaf programme to devise their very own rap song.

Participants had a fun filled day learning all about this genre of music, and the highly anticipated premiere of their music video will be launched on social media on Cruinniú day so watch this space!

Ardee library will also host a Creative Waste Reuse Workshop with the Rediscovery Centre and artist Shauna Swords will lead a series of wildlife-themed art workshops, and the beautiful collaborative creations from these workshops will be displayed in Ardee Library afterwards for all to enjoy.

Dunleer
A needle felting workshop led by Jenni Kilgallon will take place at Dunleer library for ages 12-18. Participants will make their very own felt creations to take home on the day.

Dromiskin
A wonderful immersive cookery workshop takes place at Bothairín Garden and Cookery in Dromiskin for children aged 6-12.

At this event, children will learn to create a variety of sweet and savoury treats and will also get to spend time in the vegetable garden, if the weather permits, to learn more about growing food.

Drogheda
Highlanes Gallery will host a parent and toddler art taster workshop, where parents and little ones can explore the gallery followed by a create and make workshop led by artist Caoimhe O’Dwyer.

Also at Highlanes, a series of creative workshops will take place to mentor teenagers who would like to learn how to further their creative paths.

In Drogheda Library, there’s a fun day planned of creative sessions for younger children including Lego workshops and a kite-making workshop with Go Fly Your Kite. 

Author and illustrator Tatyana Feeney will work with Southside Youth Project and Moneymore Afterschool Club to show the members of these groups who to make their very own books!

The Barbican will host workshops on film making with Frank Kelly, and Droichead Youth Theatre will host try-it-out sessions for young people who wish to embrace their inner actor also at the Barbican.

At ABACAS school, sensory art therapy sessions will take place with art therapist, Emma McManus.

Step into Drogheda's historic Abbey Lane on June 15th and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of The Abbey Microfest, a dynamic youth event as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2024. 

Experience an eclectic blend of live bands, spirited buskers, artisanal craft market stalls, captivating anime displays, and an array of engaging activities taking place from 4pm to 8pm.

Supported by a partnership of local organisations including the Drogheda Night Time Economy Adviser; Boomerang Youth Café’s ‘Basement Sounds’, Droichead Art Centre and Bru Digital Hub Drogheda, The Abbey Microfest promises an unforgettable celebration of creativity, community, and youthful energy. 

Louth County Council have also partnered with Meath County Council on doing a special one day event in Sonairte in Laytown as part of collaborations under the Drogheda Implementation Plan.

This one-day event will comprise of a special nature music trail, dream catcher workshops, nature drawing workshops and mini mural paintings.

Louth Creative Ireland Culture Team also said they are delighted to announce their local Cruinniú na nÓg Ambassador, Annie Conaghy. Annie is a 3rd year student at Drogheda Gramma School who is very involved in her local creative community, regularly attending workshops in the Highlanes Gallery from a very young age.

Annie’s favourite medium is pencil, and she has been drawing since she was old enough to hold one! Annie is also a musician, playing piano for a number of years and has recently taught herself to play the banjo.

She said she hopes to encourage other children and young people to embrace their own creativity by trying out some of the activities on day of Cruinniú na nÓg where she is looking forward to meeting more young creatives.

All in-person events on 15th June are free, but booking is required for almost all events. Materials will be provided for a selection of the workshops and can be collected in advance from venues.

For details on all the events go to https://cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie/events/location/louth/ and like and follow Creative Ireland Louth on Instagram and Facebook.