Cruinniú celebrates its 6th Birthday this year with an even bigger and more imaginative programme in counties Cavan and Monaghan.

Ireland is the first, and only, country in the world to have a national day of free creativity for children and young people under 18. Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people.

The inaugural Cruinniú na nÓg took place on 23rd June 2018 and for the past number of years, including under exceptional circumstances in 2020, young people and families have come together to enjoy, a wide range of creative activities including workshops and tutorials to recitals and readings in every city, town, and village across the country. The Cavan Monaghan Programme is a collaboration between Creative Monaghan, Creative Cavan and CMETB Local Arts in Education Partnership. Following an open call to creative practitioners, artists, and wider community to get involved, a diverse inclusive programme has been devised to reach children and young people across the two counties.

Strength in Ourselves - love of language 1

Heather Brett facilitated a project with the 1st year students in the Royal School Cavan between April & May ’23.  This project demonstrated the process of creative writing on student confidence and the ability to create work, poetry, writing, and bringing the visual in with an oak leaf created in iron.

Lyrics from poetry were used to create a music piece which accompanies the video. Assisted by Daragh Slacke & Dimitri Germanovs.

You can watch the video here 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/rdRkTzVrtAc

Killyconnan Goes Celtic - Love of our language 2

Heather Brett as resident writer and artist enables a project with 5th and 6th class in Killyconnan NS in April & May. Project rooted in the Celtic zodiac when we each had a tree and a spirit animal to inspire us. Super haiku poetry and fabulous artwork accompany the result.

You can watch the video here 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/lTAgMi4zb0s

Ice Age - Happy Days Creche

Ice Age with Happy Days Creche After schoolers Project to celebrate the return of the Mammoth to the Belturbet area…focusing on animals who have also become extinct in the last 12,000 years and illustrating them naturally with leaves twigs and flowers. Open to after schoolers in the Happy Days Creche children illustrated wolf/mammoth, elk brown bear and corn bunting. Daragh Slack took poetry made up by the students and set it to music for a Mammoth hunt!

You can watch the video here 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/KuuPmzxtfF0