This dimension to the Programme seeks to deploy creativity on a shared island basis to:
- Increase opportunities for cross-community cultural and creative initiatives between children and young people;
- Support local authorities to enhance networks of creativity in support of vibrant and inclusive people-to-people and community-to-community partnerships;
- Position Ireland as a global leader in demonstrating the value of creativity and mental health including in post-conflict societies;
- Deepen collaborations for a more environmentally and socially sustainable island.
In this, the fifth in our series of blogs, we introduce the second two of our Shared Island projects.
Creative Cafés – Monaghan County Council
Initiated in the summer of 2024, the Creative Cafés initiative brings people together via a series of creative workshops and networking and capacity building events that foster their health and wellbeing and promote their social inclusion. Target groups include members of new communities/minority groups, older adults, people with disabilities, individuals experiencing mental health issues, socio-economic disadvantage and rural isolation. The project also provides opportunities for cross-border engagement, collaboration and capacity building between health professionals, community-based support services and creative practitioners.
Creative Café programmes have run in the Monaghan and Fermanagh border region since the start of the project and have seen high levels of engagement. Activities have included woodcraft, willow weaving, glass making, upcycling, arts and crafts, creative writing programmes, journaling workshops, music and singing.
In November 2024, the project hosted a cross-border event in Monaghan Peace Campus, with 136 participants, creatives, health professionals and community workers from North and South coming together to enjoy exhibitions, performance and creative taster workshops. A short video of the event can be viewed here.
In March 2025, the project hosted a ‘Creative Retreat and Networking Event’ for creative practitioners in the idyllic setting of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. The event included a workshop on the theme ‘exploring the artist within’ and presentations by Elisha McCaffrey (Cavan/Monaghan Arts and Health Forum) and Tyrone Guthrie Resident Artist, Mary Finn. A total of 30 creative practitioners from the Monaghan/Fermanagh region attended. Planning is underway for a follow up event in County Fermanagh in Autumn 2025.
Creative Café workshops are continuing throughout the Monaghan/Fermanagh border region in 2025, bringing creative opportunities to communities and individuals who are experiencing marginalisation, including those residing in remote rural areas. A further cross border ‘creative day’ event for project participants and the wider community is scheduled for Saturday, 9th August in the stunning surroundings of Hilton Park House, Clones. For further information follow Creative Monaghan on Facebook / Instagram.
Weaving Worlds Together – Kerry County Council
The focus of the Weaving Worlds Together project is the preservation of traditional Irish crafts on the island of Ireland. Highlighting the history and culture of traditional Irish crafts and how they played a significant role in bringing communities together, the workshop series includes basket weaving/willow weaving, ceramics and textiles.
Key to the Weaving Worlds Together project is providing opportunities for members of our communities, North and South of Ireland, to support their health and wellbeing through opportunities to engage with creativity in their community.
Between April and October 2025, the workshops series is taking place at seven Family Resource Centres and Healthy Living Centres on both sides of the border. The workshop activities will be available through the Social Prescribing Services at the centres.
Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that connects individuals to community-based activities, addressing the social and emotional factors that influence health and wellbeing. An innovative approach to social prescribing, Weaving Worlds Together builds on the success of the programme “You, Me, Creativity” which took place in 2023. An event dedicated to both initiatives took place online in April 2025 at which the “You, Me, Creativity” report was officially launched, and Weaving Worlds Together was activated.
Weaving Worlds Together is a collaborative project by Creative Ireland Kerry, the National Forum for Family Resource Centres, The Healthy Living Centre Alliance in Northern Ireland, and HSE South West.
