More than 1,000 events are taking place around Ireland on Saturday for Cruinniú na nÓg, which organisers describe as the only national day of free creativity for children in the world.
Among them are mural workshops, dance parties, youth theatre groups, circus céilithe, sensory-friendly discos and gigging opportunities for young musicians. The annual celebration has been taking place since 2018.
In Dublin, one of the hubs for Cruinniú na nÓg is The Ark, a multidisciplinary arts centre in Temple Bar that caters for children from birth up to 12 years of age.
Aisling Clancy, engagement and participation manager at the centre, says they have been participating in Cruinniú na nÓg since the project’s inception.
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“It’s a really nice opportunity for people who have never been to The Ark or a cultural organisation before to come in and participate in free events and just do something they might not do ordinarily,” she says. “It’s the child’s version of culture night in some ways. A really fun day for everyone.”
Everything inside The Ark is tailor-made for children. Chalkboard walls encourage doodling. A child-sized amphitheatre plays host to youth theatre. The stairs connecting its basement and three floors are designed to fit a smaller gait, making them more difficult for overstepping adults to climb.
Clancy runs a lot of programmes for children with barriers to participation, often those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds or living with disabilities. They can be in the building itself or off-site, in places like local libraries and international protection centres.
“It’s a different way of expressing yourself, and also learning about your own individuality,” she says. “It’s not that everyone who participates in the arts is going to become an artist, but it’s a really good way of learning about yourself and communicating information in different ways.”
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For Cruinniú na nÓg, all of The Ark’s facilities are being exhausted. Upstairs, in the workshop, five to seven-year-olds are designing their own dragons. An animation class with Irish studio Matchbox Mountain is teaching stop-motion techniques and flip book creation.
In the gallery, an exhibition from another domestic animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, details the decade-long journey from idea to completion for the Irish-American film My Father’s Dragon, which was released in 2022. It features early sketches, clips from voice actors and information around compositing, the post-production process that polishes raw animation.
The Ark’s basement is holding a baby space, featuring a highly textured, sensory installation specially designed by visual artist Orla Kelly. Even at the age of one, Clancy says, there is a clear capacity for creativity.
“Everything is new and they’re exploring everything. That’s the exact approach that we take around creating an experience for that age range. There is lots for them to see, to touch, to go under, to climb over, to build. Our approach is very much sensory,” she says.
“Children are very in tune with music and their body, and there’s no inhibitions. So, dancing is also something that they will naturally engage with.”
Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan, delivered in partnership with 31 local authorities and supported by RTÉ.
