Town hall meeting this week for Birr's new festivals collective

A town hall meeting will take place on Wednesdays to help plan Birr's five festivals.

Birr Festivals Collective is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, April 27 in Dooly’s Hotel at 9pm.

The Collective will launch its plans for the festival season in 2022 and introduce the Birr Festivals Collective project and Colm Croffy, the Festivals Project Coordinator.

Birr’s five festivals (Birr Festival of Music, Scripts Ireland’s Playwriting Festival, Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival, OFFline Film Festival and Hullabaloo! Offaly’s Children’s Arts Festival) have united under the umbrella of Birr 20/20 Vision prior to the COVID-19 lockdown to commission the Report "Seeing the Beyond, - Birr Festivals Planning for A Shared Future.”

It was launched in October 2020 and proposed the setting up of the Birr Festivals Collective. Last summer resources were provided by the Arts Council of Ireland to fund a Projects Coordinator as part of the pilot project.

Mr Croffy said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for all those who have a strong interest in the development of a vibrant cultural events scene in Birr and its hinterland. It’s vitally important that every organisation in the town is represented and any interested members of the public join us on the night.”

“Many of the festival teams wish to reconnect with those who have volunteered previously with any of the festivals, volunteers from other organisations and with new people who may have moved back to Birr or arrived for the first time. Anyone who might have some ideas or would like to get involved in the running of and volunteering with the festivals are invited to come along."

Those interested in attending must register via email to birrfestivalscollective@gmail.com by 5pm on Monday, April 25.