The Creative Ireland Programme is an ambitious five-year initiative which will place culture and creative communities at the centre of public policy. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Séamus McGrath is inviting everyone to get involved and capitalise on this opportunity, “In 2016, Cork County Council demonstrated their capability to activate and support community engagement in coordinating the largest number of events in the country for the centenary year through a wide range of arts, culture and heritage initiatives. This was achieved through the incredible dedication and creativeness of the people of Cork County.”
Creative Ireland aims to build on this success through the development of a dedicated culture and creativity plan for Cork. The plan will be based on the premise that participation in cultural activities drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing. 2017 will see a special focus on children and young people with the specific objective of fast-tracking the Charter for Arts in Education, which will significantly increase access and participation for children in high quality arts and culture experiences.
A series of public meetings will be held over the next four weeks to share ideas, develop collaborations and explore opportunities for increased investment in local arts, culture and creative industries. To oversee the rolling out of the Creative Ireland Programme in County Cork, a cross-Directorate Culture Team (Library, Arts and Heritage) has been established in Cork County Council.
In addition, all government agencies, including national cultural institutions, state agencies, Government Departments, organisations, individuals and communities will be activated to embed creativity across all aspects of their work – and use that creative potential to foster collective wellbeing and social cohesion.
Cork County Council and the Creative Ireland national team will host a series of open meetings in County Cork to share details about the Programme and to explore opportunities to increase access, engagement and collaboration in the local arts and creative industries:
Location: Bantry Library on Wednesday 29th March, 2017, from 13:00 to 15:00
Location: Midleton Library on Wednesday 29th March, 2017, from 18:00 to 20:00
Location: Mallow Library on Thursday 30th March, 2017, from 13:00 to 15:00
Interested participants are kindly requested to register their interest to attend by emailing creativeireland@corkcoco.ie before Monday 27th March.
Speaking in advance of the public meetings, Tim Lucey, Chief Executive, Cork County Council said: “Cork County is gifted with a wealth of culture and creativity. Creative Ireland will be of key importance for fostering the development and growth of cultural services and activities within the County. These workshops present a wonderful opportunity for widespread engagement in the Creative Ireland Programme and large attendances are expected”.
Full details of the Creative Ireland Programme are available at www.creative.ireland.ie. For further information or queries regarding Creative Ireland in the County of Cork, email creativeireland@corkcoco.ie.
Notes to Editors:
Creative Ireland is the Government’s legacy programme for Ireland 2016. It is a five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. It is built around five strategic pillars:
Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child; Enabling Creativity in Every Community; Investing in our Creative and Cultural Infrastructure; In the larger context of the Creative Industries, making Ireland a Centre of Excellence in Media Production; Unifying our Global Reputation. Full details of the Creative Ireland Programme are available at creative.ireland.ie or on Facebook (CreativeIreland) and Twitter (@creativirl).
