First held in 2006 in Temple Bar, Culture Night, a series of free cultural events in 40 venues has now grown into an all-island celebration.
The events include dance solos performed by artists from Echo Echo projected upon Derry City Walls, finger puppets, a fun textile workshop creating animal finger puppets with designer Aideen Cross in Kildare, a queer poetry slam and open mic night in Clare, and evening of music and dance with talks on astronomy under the stars in the Kerry Gaeltacht.
Under Culture Night’s Late Scheme 19 events held late on and continue through the night, including a pop-up gaeltacht on Galway’s Middle Street, a Culture Shock Jam Dance event in Limerick, an improvised jazz event in Smithfield, Dublin and an outdoor concert in Ballina.
Under the Arts Council’s book-gifting project a curated list of 30 titles from Ireland’s literary talent be gifted to patients of seven selected hospitals nationally.
RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena programme will also hold a Culture Night Special live from Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim, while Wicklow’s Mermaid Theatre in Bray stages 2FM Rising. A programme airing from Dún Lúiche in Co Donegal will see live music and arts off the Donegal coast, featuring performances by the Murder Capital, Aby Coulibaly and Olesya Zdorovetska.
The annual event, which is directed by the Arts Council and run in partnership with local authorities and cultural organisations, is the biggest collective celebration of culture in Ireland.
Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly said the event “showcases our vibrant culture. One of my favourite things to see on Culture Night is generations of families and groups of friends, young and old, coming out to explore together and enjoy the richness and diversity of Ireland’s culture today.”
Details on https://culturenight.ie
