Cork County Council's My Creative Wish Returns for 2026

Cork County Council has announced the return of My Creative Wish, inviting children and young people across the county to submit their creative wishes for a chance to see them brought to life by professional artists through free workshops in 2026.

The initiative, running in partnership with the Creative Ireland Programme, continues to celebrate the imagination and creative potential of young people in Cork. This year's programme will select 16 winning wishes, each receiving six fully funded creative workshops delivered by professional artists to the winners and their classmates.

In 2025, approximately 35 creative wishes were granted through workshops delivered in schools and local libraries across Cork County. These wishes spanned an impressive range of artistic disciplines, including architecture, acting, dance, circus, ceramics, baking, design, and ballet.

A further 16 runners-up will be awarded a free Creative Ireland-funded workshop in their local library, ensuring even more young people can explore their creative interests.

The winning wishes will be showcased as part of Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland's national day of free creativity for children and young people, on Saturday, 6th June 2026. These showcases may take the form of exhibitions, performances, concerts, demonstrations, or other creative presentations highlighting the talents of Cork's young creatives.

Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, Mayor of the County of Cork, welcomed the programme's return:

"My Creative Wish gives children and young people across Cork a meaningful chance to express themselves, try something new, and discover their creative potential. We are proud to support a programme that places imagination at the centre of learning and community life."

Schools and youth groups interested in participating can request an application pack by emailing creativeireland@corkcoco.ie by 5th December 2025. The deadline for completed applications is 19th December 2025.

Cork County Council encourages young people of all creative interests to apply, whether their passion lies in circus arts, coding, costume design, cartooning, choreography, or any other artistic discipline.