Free events aplenty across Offaly to mark Culture Night
Culture Night is an Ireland-wide celebration of arts, heritage and culture and is an important date in Offaly’s calendar.
Each year it showcases a variety of cultural activities by inviting audiences to experience local creativity and talent, with the county opening up as a cultural playground.
Culture Night Offaly is now in its ninth year and on Friday, September 20 eighteen venues will open their doors for FREE. These include Edenderry Historical Society who host a talk at Edenderry Parish Centre; Tullamore Library hosts Eileen Casey’s poetry workshop for adults, Clara Musical Society at the Friends Meeting (Quaker) House, guided tours at Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre; trad session at Offaly’s Leap Castle and a trad-international cultural fusion at Charleville Castle artist’s walk with Michael Bulfin at Lough Boora Discovery Park.
There are also guided tours at Birr Castle’s Science Centre, trad sessions at Dan & Molly’s, Ballyboy, Digan’s Pub, Tullamore and Byrnes Pub, Edenderry; choirs of all ages performing at Áras an Chontae; films, sculpture and environmental discussions at Hough’s, Banagher, artist Louise O’Brien at Edenderry Library; Birr Historical Society walk through two hundred year of ecclesiastical connections, Fixation Dance Academy workshop with Amy Donlon at Charleville Centre, rehearsed reading of Eddie Alford’s comedy ‘Hello! Who’s Calling?’ by the Harbour Theatre Company in McIntyre’s Pub, Shannon Harbour; broadcaster & filmmaker Ann Marie Kelly’s screening of interviews with Ofalia House day care residents at Edenderry Library, and a taster from Scripts – Ireland’s Playwriting Festival at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre on how plays are pitched and developed from past festival participants.
Culture Night Offaly will see villages and towns across the county becoming arts and culture hubs - encouraging people to try new things and get involved in the local cultural scene. Culture Night has something for everyone. Pick up a brochure in your local library and at a wide range of venues across the county, or go to www.culturenight.ie/offaly and Offaly Culture Night on Facebook.
Culture Night on September 20 is an initiative of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Creative Ireland, in partnership with Offaly County Council.