Funding fill-up for creativity in Laois

An allocation of €175,161 is on its way to Laois to the implementation of Creative Ireland initiatives in Laois.

This funding is part of a €6.6 million investment in local authorities throughout the country that will support creative projects that will connect people, creativity and wellbeing in 2022. The Creative Ireland Programme is committed to the vision that every person in their community should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential.

During 2021 in Laois, the Creative Ireland Culture and Creativity Team delivered 39 projects.

With support from the Laois Heritage Office the Know Your Locality Course for Laois was launched to enable the people of County Laois to find out more about the heritage of their county. This free online course was delivered in September 2021 by Irish Heritage School and provided participants with the resources to paint a picture of the geological, archaeological, and historical events that happened in their community. While the course did examine examples from throughout Ireland, it also focused on the geology, archaeology and history of Laois.

In 2021 Laois also celebrated the extraordinary life of Mountmellick native, Anne Jellicoe who was born in 1823 into a Quaker family. A video-mapped animation of her life was projected onto the front wall of Mountmellick Community School as part of Culture Night 2021. This animation work was created by artist Caroline Conway and illuminated the significance of Jellicoe's historical achievements and contemporary relevance to Laois.

Since the Creative Ireland Programme was launched in 2017, it has received investment of €21 million from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This has enabled local authorities to deliver over 5,700 community-led creative projects to support their respective Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022 along with the flagship Cruinniú na nÓg – the national day of free creativity for children and young people that takes place in June.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’ Brien TD, announced the funding.

Minister Martin said: “I am very pleased to continue to support the excellent work undertaken by local authorities on behalf of the Creative Ireland Programme. Every Creative Ireland project delivered by our local authority teams harnesses the creative potential of our people and their communities. Their work is the cornerstone of the Creative Ireland Programme and brings together local expertise in arts, heritage, libraries, enterprise and community engagement in a meaningful and inspired way.

"As we emerge from the last two years, I know that they will once again deliver creative programmes that can build resilience, foster personal confidence and sustain their communities,” she said.

For an overview of projects in Laois please go to https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/laois/