This year Cruinniú na nÓg, the annual day of free creativity for children and young people, will take place on Saturday 7th June.
Here in Donegal there’s over 35 events the public can try for free, with venues and organisations all over the county taking part, from Carndonagh to Bundoran and Aráinn Mhór to Raphoe, in Family Resource Centres, Libraries, Arts Centres and Community Halls, there’s even a chance to get a STEM Lazer Maze posted to your house, and yes that’s free too!
All information on Donegal events, including booking details, are available at donegalculture.ie.
This year’s Donegal Cruinníu na nÓg young Ambassadors are Michael Deely from Donegal Town and Breegeen Boner from Ailt an Chorráin. They recently travelled to Limerick where the Minister Patrick O’Donovan officially launched this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg.
Micheál is 16 years old and his interests include the world of Creative Design, Photography and Media Marketing.
Last year he entered Junk Kouture with his friends, the main theme was the Pink Tax and Period Poverty. He has also created two successful science projects; A dyslexia lamp with a difference and A Cookbook For People With Intellectual Disabilities. Breegeen is also 16 and is a singer-songwriter who has recently performed at Club Beo in Anagaire and loves all kinds of art and creating drawings, paintings and clay pieces.
The amazing location of Donegal Castle is the venue for one of this year’s flagship events as the Donegal Town Community Chamber and Donegal Family Resource Centre combine resources to provide a fabulous afternoon of activities. The Bluestacks Centre in Donegal Town will also provide their highly popular Creative Chaos again, which promises to be a day of truly messy fun.
Moville Tidy Towns will be encouraging everyone to build bird boxes on the village green, while young people in An Fal Carrach will be getting back to nature with Wild Awake’s Lucy O’Hagan, and Inch Island will be the perfect location for the Guided Biodiversity Trail.
There is an enhanced As Gaeilge programme with events for the first time ar Óilean Arainn Mhór, and also in Gaoth Dobhair, Rann na Feirste, An Fal Carrach, agus Machaire Rabhartaigh.
A number of programmes have been running over a longer period with the Donegal Traveller’s Project running Circus Workshops with In Your Space Circus and ISACS. Shared Island Projects have brought together schools in Donegal, Derry and Strabane. Youth Theatre Ireland will be running a special Youth Theatre Day at An Grianán Theatre where people can avail of a special workshop after watching the youth theatres perform, and drama workshops will also be on offer in the Balor Theatre, The Abbey Centre and Amharclann Gaoth Dobhair.
Cruinniú na nÓg is the brainchild of the Creative Ireland Programme and is organised locally by Donegal County Council’s Culture & Creativity team with young people from the Donegal Youth Council.
All information on Donegal events, including booking details, are available at donegalculture.ie. Booking is essential for some of the activities where places are limited. National events and initiatives can be viewed at cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie/.
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media and is presented in partnership with RTÉ and the Local Authorities, and is administered in Donegal by Donegal County Council.
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