Cork County Council to Grant Creative Wishes for Young People at Cruinniú na nÓg 2025

Cork County Council's Library and Arts Service is set to make creative dreams come true for young people throughout the county next month as part of Cruinniú na nÓg 2025. The National Day of Creativity for young people will take place on Saturday, 7th June, featuring over 30 events across County Cork libraries and schools.

This year's programme has been uniquely shaped by the children of Cork through the innovative 'My Creative Wish' initiative. More than 1,000 submissions were received from children and young people expressing their artistic dreams and ambitions, with over 30 wishes selected to be granted.

The festivities will include showcase events featuring works, stories and performances by young people who have been collaborating with professional artists in recent weeks. Additionally, libraries across the county will host public workshops on comic and zine making, architecture and fashion design.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll, highlighted the significance of the event:

"The young people in our county have demonstrated an immense wealth of creativity. Through My Creative Wish we have seen the ambition of our youth to become actors, writers, dancers, designers, and so much more. We are delighted to have an opportunity to help them realise their ambitions and to make their wishes come true."

Among the successful projects is a student from Whitegate National School whose wish to become an artist resulted in their entire class participating in workshops led by a professional artist. The culmination of their work will be displayed in an exhibition. At Kyle Community School, a student's aspiration to become a writer led to a professional author working with their class to create poems and stories that will be read by the students themselves. Meanwhile, at Burnfort National School, one young person's desire to become a songwriter has inspired the class to develop original tunes they will perform.

Runners-up received workshops in their local library branches that are open to the public. Mallow will host an architecture workshop led by a local architect, where participants will sketch, design, and construct creative structures using interactive materials. In Macroom, children will create their own mini show to share with parents as part of the Mini Musical Stars workshops.

In an exciting development, this year marks the first time Cruinniú na nÓg will feature a late-night event in Cork County. Electronic Music Council will teach young people in Youth Reach Mallow how to DJ, culminating in a performance at a disco in Mallow on 7th June.

Ireland holds the distinction of being the first and only country worldwide to establish 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, designed to nurture the creative potential of children and young people.

The My Creative Wish initiative is a Cork County Council project delivered through the Creative Ireland Programme with support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

For more information, interested parties can visit www.cruinniu.gov.ie or visit their local library branch.