Participation and Engagement Programming
NEWS
Roscommon Bealtaine Festival 2026
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Bealtaine Festival 2026 returns to Roscommon this May with a vibrant programme of creative and cultural events celebrating the arts, creativity and community. Part of the national Bealtaine Festival, this annual celebration highlights the rich contributions of older people to cultural life and encourages participation, shared experiences and creative expression at every stage of life.
Across the county, libraries, community spaces and cultural venues will host a diverse range of events including music, storytelling, visual art, heritage activities and participatory workshops. Roscommon’s Bealtaine programme invites residents and visitors alike to connect, create and celebrate throughout the month of May in a spirit of curiosity, connection and joy.
Here's what's in store in Roscommon:
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Watching a Sunset, 8.50pm by Andy Parsons Exhibition Opening
Friday, 1st May 6pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
CURATED BY LAURA MAHON
Andy’s current body of work is about watching a sunset. It is based on people coming together to experience things collectively. The work depicts a group that has convened for the purpose of joy. “The work is based on a scene I witnessed where a group of people sat by a riverbank quietly watching a sunset”.
Andy has spent the last two years making paintings, drawings and sculptures that try to evoke this brief moment in time. The work explores ideas around time, memory, community and pleasure. Andy’s practice combines working in community contexts with making drawing, sculpture and painting.
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/watching-a-sunset-8-50pm/
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Mikel Murfi Trilogy
Saturday, 2nd May 1pm, 4pm & 8pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
Loco & Reckless Productions present Mikel Murfi Trilogy
Written and Performed by Mikel Murfi
An incredible opportunity to see all three hugely successful shows in one day.
1pm THE MAN IN THE WOMAN’S SHOES
Mikel Murfi’s wildly successful solo play which follows Pat Farnon as he walks to town and back again.
4pm I HEAR YOU AND REJOICE
The tender and joy-filled sequel, which joins Pat Farnon late in his life as he embarks on a new journey.
8pm THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF KITSY RAINEY
The final play in the series see’s Pat Farnon finally “lift the lid” on a life lived by his wife Kitsy prior to their marriage while facing down his own reckoning.
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/4888/
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A TRIO OF SLOW ART EXPERIENCES 5th May at Roscommon Arts Centre 2pm-4pm
Zest For Life-An Audio Story Experience
Tuesday, 5th May 2pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
A gentle, participatory audio storytelling experience for older adults that creates space to reflect on what continues to give life meaning. Through relaxed drama-based exercises, shared conversation, and attentive listening, participants are invited to explore resilience, independence, humour, care, and the realities of everyday living—without pressure to perform or “be positive.” This experience will also give audiences the opportunity to respond and provide their insight fron their perspectives.
Direct Link to Follow https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
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Stories in the Making by Kathy Raftery
Tuesday, 5th May 2.30pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
A short film created while working with a local Active Age group is Kathy Raftery's latest work. Kathy a renowned Roscommon Film Maker has an abundance of experience in gaining local insight and perspective and putting it all together as relatable, charming and valuable content that sets context and story in time. Stories in the Making is a cnetle and reflective portrait of commuity life.
The screenign will be followed by an artist Q&A
Direct Link to Follow https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
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STONES IN HIS HEAD (2026) a film by Noel Molloy
Tuesday, 5th May 3pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
STONES IN HIS HEAD is a documentary film about stone collector and farmer Thomas Byrne. Set in the landscape of Roscommon, the film documents the story of the stones collected by Thomas for the past 40 years. Sculpted and shaped by nature, Thomas shares his knowledge of the land, his collection of stones and his experience of living with a progressive illness.
Camera and editing by
Noel Molloy
Sound design
Danny McCarthy and Noel Molloy
The screening will be followed by the launch of the associate book as part of the project
Direct Link to Follow https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
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The Threads that Bind Us Exhibition
From Tuesday 5th May
📍Roscommon County Council Building (during office opening times), F42 VR98
This exhibition is a showcase of the work of The Táin Stitch Community Group who have been working on pieces that tell the stories of famous Roscommon women through the generations. From the Lady Betty to Maureen O'Hara, the collection's new focus is on Hannah Greally, a Roscommon writer and memoirist whose work exposed the realities of psychiatric institutions in mid‑20th‑century Ireland.
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Appreciate Bealtaine Art
Friday & Saturday 8th and 9th May 11am-2pm
📍King House, F52 WR26
Guided by experienced artist Veronica O'Connor, explore the art work of from Boyle and Castlerea Training Centres in the beautiful setting of King House Boyle.
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Cultural Companions Cathy Jordan in Concert
Wednesday, 13th May 2pm
📍King House, F42 VR26
Roscommon born Cathy Jordan has been a professional singer with traditional group Dervish for nearly 30 years. She is a self-taught guitar, bouzouki, bodhrán and bones player.
She has led Dervish as front woman through thousands of concerts in hundreds of cities in nearly 40 countries and has 18 albums under her belt. Among the most notable performances were The Great Wall of China and the biggest rock music festival in the world – Rock in Rio to over 250,000 people.
As a songwriter, she has written songs with internationally renowned Brendan Graham, best known for the most successful song of the twentieth century, You Raise Me Up.
As a performer she never leave an audience wanting, so generous with her talent and her spirit, this is an event not to be missed
https://www.visitkinghouse.ie/events/wed-13th-may-cathy-jordan/
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Songs Between the Branches
From Thursday, 14th May 2.30pm
📍New Art Gallery/An Rioga, F52 NX73
A window installation comprising of a series of hand-crafted birdhouses, created in collaboration with residents of Abbey Haven Nursing Home.
The work was created by Monica Daly, Sheila Devine, Pauline Doyle, Phyllis Gilroy, and Nora McManamy, alongside artist Catherine Fanning.
Developed through a process of shared making, conversation, and time spent together, the work reflects on care, memory, and everyday creativity. Small gestures of expression, connection, and presence.
Funded as part of a Slow Art Bursary Project 2026, supported by Roscommon County Council Arts Office, the installation invites passers-by to pause, look closely, and consider the value of slow, collaborative practice.
Join on the day to meet the project participants and chat with artist Catherine Fanning
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Bealtaine Twilight Tour
Wednesday, 20th May 1pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
Artist Andy Parsons and curator Laura Mahon invite you to join a gentle, paced tour of Parsons’ exhibition Watching a Sunset, 8:50pm at Roscommon Arts Centre.
Designed especially for older adults and community groups as part of the Bealtaine Festival, this relaxed guided visit offers time to explore the exhibition together and reflect on themes of light, atmosphere, and shared attention.
Tea and coffee will be served following the tour.
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/bealtaine-twilight-tour/
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Circus on the Square
Wednesday, 20th May 2pm-4pm
📍Roscommon Town Square (outside Gleesons) F42 WA22
Brought to you by Roscommon Arts Centre ) in partnership with Rosorcas Festival
2pm Ross & Roll Arts Fusion
Fold fusion will take to the stage with Steel Pan Drumming and Music
2.30pm GAA Juggler
Cormac Mohally
3.15pm Won't be Told
Tumble Circus
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Accessible Circus Workshop
Wednesday, 20th May 6.30pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
Use juggling balls, rings and scarves to introduce people to the benefits of Circus Arts in a fun, non-competitive environment that promotes physical literacy, and is adaptable for all abilities or physical limitations.
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/accessible-circus-workshop-with-cormac-mohally/
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Film: Horseshoe
Saturday, 23rd May 8pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
Four siblings. One will. With any luck, they won’t kill each other.
Four estranged siblings return to their crumbling family home in the West of Ireland after the death of their father where they attempt to navigate inheritance, grief and long-buried grudges. But their time together unearths far more than expected – including secrets that just might shatter what little bond remains between them. Blending razor-sharp dialogue with raw emotional depth, the comedy drama is anchored by a number of powerful performances.
Horseshoe won the Best Irish First Feature with its World Premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh 2025. This screening is followed by a Q&A with co-directors Adam O’Keefe and Edwin Mullane
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/horseshoe/
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Strokestown Caravaggio-Dark Light and Woodland Café Sing Song
Tuesday 26th May 10am-3pm
📍Strokestown Park/National Famine Museum
This workshop introduces participants to monoprinting and expressive mark-making, inspired by the dramatic use of light and storytelling in “The Cardsharps” by Caravaggio, which once resided in Strokestown House.
Participants will explore chiaroscuro, working with ink, rollers, and materials to produce unique black-and-white experimental monoprints. The session also highlights the historical connections of The Cardsharps to collections at Strokestown Park House, showing how European artworks appeared in Irish country houses in the 19th–20th centuries.
By the end of the session, participants will create a series of expressive prints inspired by Caravaggio.
Bealtaine Festivities will continue in the Woodland Café with a rousing sing song and musical entertainment
https://strokestownpark.ie/events/
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Andy Parsons & Bairbre-Ann Harkin IMMA Artist Talk
Wednesday, 27th May 1pm
📍Roscommon Arts Centre, F42 YX61
Join us in our Gallery for an Artist Talk with exhibiting artist Andy Parsons and Bairbre-Ann Harkin.
Bairbre-Ann is Curator of IMMA Horizons at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, with responsibility for IMMA’s Health Partnerships. She previously led IMMA’s Art & Ageing initiatives, championing inclusive and dementia-aware engagement and fostering key partnerships with IMMA collaborators such as Age&Opportunity, Global Brain Health Institute, Mercers Inst. for Successful Ageing (St James Hospital) among others. Before this, while working as Curator of Education at Butler Gallery, Bairbre-Ann became a founding member of the Azure network of dementia inclusive galleries and museums, alongside IMMA, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Age&Opportunity and the Erasmus+ funded European project ‘Museums, Art and Alzheimers’. She initiated IMMA Horizons in 2023, exploring how creativity and arts experiences can enhance health, wellbeing and quality of life.
https://roscommonartscentre.ie/event/andyparsonstalk-imma/
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Cultural Companions Lola Montez and Lady Morgan
Wednesday, 27th May 2pm
📍King House, F42 VR26
Lola Montez and Lady Morgan is a highly entertaining dialogue between two very interesting19th century ladies.
Lola was a Sligo born courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig of Bavaria and Franz Listz. Lady Morgan was a writer of some note also with Sligo connections . She wrote her most famous novel The wild Irish girl while residing at Longford House in Beltra. Their exchanges in this charming piece of theatre will entertain and inform.
A charming imagined conversation between two ladies of very different lifestyles, one the infamous courtesan Lola Montez and the other a famous writer of the day Lady Morgan.
https://www.visitkinghouse.ie/events/wed-27th-may-lola-montez-and-lady-morgan/
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Creative Health and Wellbeing Exhibition
Wednesday, 27th May Time TBC
📍Roscommon University Hospital, F42 AX61
Artists Catherine Donnelly and Flin Keane have been in residence at Roscommon University Hospital over the past 2 years as part of the Roscommon Mayo Care and Creativity in Context project. The fundamental aim of that project was to bring creativity to those at end of life or with long term illness. A chance to create, a chance to distract and a chance to be human and not just patient. Working along side the fantastic staff at RUH, Catherine and Flin faciliated creative sessions that opened participants to the world of art and creativity in a gentle, non-intrusive way that cast expectations aside and said "let's see what comes from today."
This new exhibition is a collection of works that were made by participants collaborating with the artists during the 20 sessions from late 2025/early 2026.
Further details to follow.
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More events will be added as information becomes available.
Support will also be provided by Roscommon Arts Office for closed Bealtaine events for focused groups such as Circus in a Nursing Home events.
PREVIOUS NEWS
EDI Award, Inclusion in the Arts Award and Slow Art Bursaries.
These awards are available for proposals from experienced artists in participation contexts who are on our Facilitators panel 2024/2025.
‘Postcards from Bealach an Doirín’ - POP-UP art class
With artist Jacqueline Duignan
Location: Phoenix Youth Centre, Ballaghaderreen.
Date: Saturday, 15th February 2025.
Time: 4 hours, 10 - 2.30pm. Bring a packed lunch, break at 12 - 12.30pm.
Materials Provided. All ages, but limited Spaces. Book now at artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie
Description:
This project involves a 4-hour pop-up art class inviting participants to create unique postcard-sized artworks, using a combination of mark making / collage / mixed-media / experimental and printing techniques.
It offers an accessible and meaningful way for individuals to explore and express themes of identity and community, drawing inspiration from Bealach an Doirín. At the heart of this project is the metaphor of the "Little Oak"—small but meaningful artistic expressions that reflect the potential for growth and transformation. These “postcards” represent the seeds of creativity, poised to grow into larger, more ambitious projects in future.
Together the work will form an exhibition of collective expression within the Ballaghaderreen community.
Funded through an Inclusion in the Arts Award from Roscommon County Council Arts Office, supported by Creative Places Ballaghaderreen.
TAP+ (Teacher Artist Partnership) 2024
Roscommon Artists / Creative Practitioners
Apply for TAP+ (Teacher Artist Partnership) via expressions of interest sent to the Director of Carrick on Shannon Education Support Centre (pmpache@carrickedcentre.ie) no later than 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
The letter should outline:
- Training institute/ organisation
- Brief description of practice
- Why you aim to work in education and in partnership teachers and children
- What qualifies you to undertake the TAP+ summer course training and residency programme
Call out for Facilitators Panel
- Closed Nov 2023
Roscommon County Council are planning a diverse range of programming during the coming year and are seeking experienced Facilitators to take part in various programmes throughout 2024/2025.
Facilitators who wish to work in participation contexts including Social Engagement and inclusion, Arts & Education, Arts & Health, Arts & Disability, Arts & Older People, Cultural Diversity, Arts & Communities, across a wide range of art and cultural forms, are invited to apply to be on a new Facilitators Panel for 2024/2025. We are looking for Facilitators who have experience in delivering high quality experiences for children, young and older people, specialist groups and who are interested in working collaboratively with groups.
The Facilitators Panel will be contacted by RCC to submit proposals for programmes as they arise, including Bealtaine, Cruinniú na nÓg, Culture Night and Creative Ireland. The panel may deliver residencies, workshops, talks, and other tailored events including in schools, nursing homes and libraries.
We welcome events held through Irish, English and other languages. In addition to opportunities to work, the Facilitators Panel will be informed of training, supports and opportunities offered by RCC, Roscommon Arts Office, Roscommon Arts Centre, Libraries and other national organisations.
Please note that the successful applicants will be required to undergo the Garda Vetting procedure.
The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is Friday 10th November 2023. Late applications will not be considered.
All enquiries to Mary Smyth, Tel: (090) 6637 279 or email: msmyth@roscommoncoco.ie
Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Roscommon County Council, Áras an chontae, Roscommon. Ireland
