Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 – Roscommon 

Join us on Saturday, June 7th for Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s national day of free creative activities for young people! Roscommon is bursting with exciting workshops, performances, and hands-on fun for all ages – from music and poetry to sculpture, a creativity festival, and more. Come celebrate creativity and imagination in your community!

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ View the full downloadable programme of events here: Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 – Roscommon Events ✨ ✨ ✨

Videography and/or photography will be taking place at events.

Keep scrolling for full details on all our events

Roscommon Events:

Ballaghaderreen Foróige Showcase

Working on creative skills all year, this Foróige group are ready to show you what they have learned and some of their favourite creative things to do as they showcase their work so far. Ballaghaderreen Foróige group have been acting as a youth voice panel for Roscommon Creative Ireland Programme, to hear what young people want FROM YOUNG PEOPLE. As part of their role they have been trying taster sessions of numerous creative activities. Poetry, Baking, Creative Writing, Photography, Circus Skills and much more have been explored. We'll be looking for them to tell us their favourite activities, what they want more of and what they didn't enjoy too and that will all feed into future programming.  For this year's Cruinniú na nÓg they will be exhibiting some of the activities, their pieces and images of their work. There may even be recipes they will share too as they become expert breadmakers

Venue: Phoenix Centre, Cathedral St, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon, F45 K4C8

Time: 11am-1pm

No Booking Required

Age Range: Suitable for all ages

Cyanotype Printing Workshop

Join us for a fun and creative workshop where you’ll be introduced to the fascinating Cyanotype printing technique from the 19th century. This alternative photo process utilises sunlight, or UV light, to create striking cyan blue images that are developed in water.

In addition to exploring the history of cyanotype, we will experiment with printing various objects, such as flowers, leaves, feathers, and lace, among others. Participants are encouraged to bring their own small flat items, like a toy or ornaments, to experiment with.

All necessary materials will be provided, and everyone will leave with their own unique pieces of art they have created!

Venue: Moore Hall, Lakelands, Ballydangan, Co. Roscommon, N37 HT68

Time: 12pm-2pm (9-12yrs), 2.30pm-4.30pm (12-14yrs)

Booking Required: Email Clare: cdm.mindfulmaking@gmail.com

Age Range: 9-14yrs

A Word in Your Shell-Like

Join artist Martin Heron as he explores the creativity of making shell shaped structures. 

Martin will guide you through producing your own small paper shell art work that can be taken home to display. A meaningful note, message or a word can be written inside. Maybe a message to your future self, a remembered dream or what was the best day ever!

All materials will be provided

Venue: King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, F52 WR26

Time: 2pm-4pm

Booking Required: Email: creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie

Age Range: 10+yrs

Laugh Out Loud - A Comedy Workshopfor Young Creatives

Comedian Cathal Shanagher will guide you through all the tips and techniques you will need to enter the world of comedy. Learn about improvisation, performance, self-expression and the art of humour.

Junior Comedy Crew (ages 9-12) will show you the ropes with character play, improv exercises and fun storytelling to spark creativity.

Teen Comedy Club (ages 13-18) will feature stand-up basics, character development, comedic timing and collaborative sketch writing followed by an open mic night to showcase your new talents.

Venue: King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, F52 WR26

Time: 11.30am-2.30pm (9-12yrs), 3.30pm-6.30pm (13-18yrs), Open Mic 7pm-8.30pm

Booking Required: Email: creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie

Age Range: 9-18yrs

Sculpting In Clay

This 3-hour workshop, with expert artist Jacqueline Duignan, will guide participants through the steps to creating a self-portrait bust maquette sculpture, primarily aimed at 15-18 year olds, who are interested in experimenting with clay.

Using phone-cameras and mirrors, a series of drawings will be produced. Participants will then create a small self-portrait head in clay, referencing their drawings. 

Self-hardening clay and modelling tools will be provided.

Places are limited

Time: 12pm-3pm

Booking Required: Email: creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie

Age Range: 15-18yrs

Global Neighbours & Connecting Communities

Castlerea Family Resource Centre will be connecting the new communities of the area, through creativity. Young people will create signs, demonstrating the distance between Castlerea and young people’s native places. The target group will be new communities, who have moved to Castlerea and those living in private and/or IPAS Centres and the local community. 

Young people will work together to design and create wooden signs, which will be placed in the local Demesne, for local people to gain an understanding of how far away from home some of the families now living in our area, are. 

This event will be supported by local tradesmen, who will have some work completed but the main fun part for young people will involve the design, decorating and erecting of signs

Venue: Castlerea Community & Family Resource Centre, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, F45 K282

Time: 4pm-9pm

Booking Required: Phone Tetiana: 083 080 6232

Age Range: 12-15yrs

Colouring Cloontuskert

A series of workshops will take place with the students of Cloontuskert NS during the month of May, with visual artist Sophie Carroll Hunt, to develop a vibrant outdoor mural on an exposed area of the school garden.

The piece will be child-led and the content will be designed from their ideas, linking with the themes of nature and biodiversity, an area that the students and school are invested in and wish to build on. 

The mural will be officially launched for Cruinniú na nÓg

Venue: Cloontuskert NS, Cloontuskert, Lanesboro, Co. Roscommon

Time: 2pm

No Booking Required

Age Range: Suitable for all ages

African Rhythms & Samba Beats at Croghan NS

Students from Croghan NS will participate in workshops led by African percussionist, Barra O’Flannaigh on May 23rd. During these sessions, they will explore rhythm and melody by recalling, answering and inventing simple patterns using their voices, body percussion and various instruments.

Throughout June, the school will have access to Samba drums, allowing students to immerse themselves in South American beats during school hours, as they prepare for the Cruinniú na nÓg event. As part of this preparation, they will also design and create their own percussion drums.

On Saturday, June 7th, at 12 pm, the students will showcase their skills in a special 1-hour workshop, where they will be joined by members of the Carrick-on-Shannon Samba Band. Together, they will perform the rhythms they have learned, using their handmade drums, alongside traditional Samba instruments such as surdos, bells, snares, and tambourines

Venue: Croghan NS, Croghan, Carrowmore, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, F52 NH72

Time: 12pm-3pm

No Booking Required

Age Range: Suitable for all ages

 More Event Details will be posted soon....

__________________________________________________________________

Cruinniú na nÓg Open Call 2025

Applications Open for Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 in Roscommon

Roscommon County Council Seeks Artists, Creatives and Youth Organisations to Inspire Young People

Roscommon County Council, in partnership with Creative Ireland, is excited to announce the call for applications for Cruinniú na nÓg 2025, taking place on Saturday, June 7th, 2025. This national day of FREE creativity for young people offers children and teens (ages 0-18) the chance to engage in fun, free, and hands-on creative activities in their local communities.

The council is now inviting artists, creative groups, and youth organizations to submit proposals for exciting workshops, events, and creative experiences that will help unlock the creative potential of Roscommon’s young people. Grants of up to €1,000 are available to support selected projects.

We asked young people what creative activities they love and what new ones they want to try, and their responses were inspiring! Based on their feedback, we encourage proposals that reflect these popular interests:

• Clay, Pottery & Sculpting
• Photography
• Theatre & Costume Design
• Trying New Instruments
• Design
• Street Art and Murals
• Sewing, Knitting & Crochet

Get Involved! Apply to Bring Your Creative Idea to Life

We are seeking proposals that offer engaging, interactive experiences in a wide range of creative areas, including theatre, music, dance, film, circus, fashion, photography, visual arts, digital arts, storytelling, street art, architecture, coding, nature projects, heritage, archaeology, and more!

Projects should put young people at the centre, encouraging active participation and creative exploration. We especially welcome projects that provide new opportunities for those who may not have had access to creative experiences before.

Introducing Cruinniú Late

As part of this year’s programme, we are also looking for proposals for Cruinniú Late, an event designed specifically for teenagers. This event should start no earlier than 4 PM and finish no earlier than 8 PM (later running times are encouraged).

Selection Criteria

Projects will be chosen based on:

• Engagement & Participation – How well young people are involved in creativity and the community.
• Youth Involvement – How much input young people have in shaping the idea.
• Relevance – How well the proposal aligns with young people’s interests.
• Diversity & Accessibility – How many young people can take part, including those from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience & Feasibility – The applicant’s experience in running creative events for young people.

Key Information for Applicants

• Events can take place before and on June 7th, 2025, but must include at least one activity on the main event day.
• Grants are available up to €1,000, with most awards ranging between €500 and €1,000.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered.
• Not all applications may receive funding; events that best align with Cruinniú na nÓg’s goals will be prioritized.
• All projects must comply with child protection legislation and have appropriate safeguarding policies in place.
• Applicants may submit up to three supporting files (e.g., images, recordings, or videos). Files should be in .doc, .pdf, or .jpg formats, while video and audio files should be shared via online links.

How to Apply

To apply, send your completed application form and supporting materials via email to creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie. For further information, contact the Roscommon Arts Office at 090 663 7271 or email creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie.

Applications forms can be found here

Application Deadline: Thursday, March 6th, 2025

Let’s make Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 a vibrant celebration of youth creativity in Roscommon! We can’t wait to see your inspiring ideas come to life.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Cruinniú na nÓg Youth Survey 2025

And the winners are......

Roscommon County Council, pride ourselves on supporting Youth Voice representation in our programming.

We are so lucky to administer Creative Ireland and Cruinniú na nÓg funding but the important thing we need to ensure is that we are listening to the people we are programming for and hearing what they would like to see in their area.

Roscommon young people have a voice!

Cruinniú na nÓg is Ireland’s national day of free creativity for young people and Roscommon County Council want to hear about our the creative things our county’s children and young people like doing or would like to try.

We will then use this information when we offer funding to youth organisations to facilitate creative activities and events for Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 which will take place on the 7th June 2025.

By completing the BELOW form young people have the chance to tell us what they want. As many answers as possible, and the most popular themes will then be part of the Cruinniú na nÓg Open Call for grants that we will offer in the coming weeks. This will ensure that funding is spent on things that our young people enjoy and that programming is influenced by the people it is supposed to be for.

For under 12’s the form called “Cruinniú Survey Youth” is designed for you and over 12’s might prefer the form called “Cruinniú Survey Teens”. They both ask the same questions but we will be able to focus on what preferences come up in particular age groups.

Cruinniu-Survey-Youth.pdf (size 2 MB)

Cruinniu-Survey-Teens.pdf (size 4.2 MB)

You can return the completed forms via email to creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie by scanning or taking pictures on a phone, all methods will be accepted.

You can do so by post if that is your preference, the address is Arts Office, Roscommon County Council, Aras an Chontae, Roscommon, F42 VR98

 10 responses randomly selectined responses will receive goody bag prizes.

Closing date for receipt of completed forms is Friday 14th February