Six seed funding grants announced as part of Creative Places: Edenderry
Creative Places: Edenderry is our ongoing project which aims to put people, place, and participation at the centre of cultural life in Edenderry.
As part of this programme, we’re excited to announce the latest round of recipients of our Seed Funding grants, who we’ll be supporting to carry out inspiring projects for the benefit of the people of Edenderry during 2025.
Helen Keenan
Project: ‘Until we meet again’
Multidisciplinary artist Helen Keenan will lead a four-week project at the Edenderry Youth Café, centrd on using creativity (arts and crafts, movement and poetry), to normalise conversations around death, dying, grief and loss. Helen will run one 2-hour session each week, open to teens and their families across the Edenderry community. One of these sessions will be a teen-only session.
Each session will involve creative opportunities and tasks that act as a way-in for expression and communication around death and loss. Helen has led several community arts projects over the years, and is excited to use creativity as a way to broach this sensitive topic.
Angela Ward
Project: ‘Mother Bog’
Artist statement: “My name is Angi Ward and I am a Bog Woman, born of a Bog Man and live on the bog. I was inspired to apply for this Seed Funding project while taking part in the recent Artist Commission, ‘The Bog, The Grand Canal and other Magical Places’ as part of Creative Places Edenderry towards the end of 2024.
I currently facilitate the Monday Music Group in the Parish Centre and it is a very successful and diverse group. Acoustic Hearts is a musical group that we have established as an offshoot of the Monday Music Group.
Mother Bog is going to be a performance in which I personify Mother Bog and take the audience back though the last 100 years of the boglands around Edenderry. There will be a narrative, soundscape, movement, recitation and music to provide visual and auditory stimulation to help the audience experience the performance fully. The cast are all members of Acoustic Hearts, and this will be a new and exciting challenge for them all!”
Mother Bog will be performed in Edenderry in May 2025.
Jenny Bergin
Project: Air Dry Clay Bird Workshops at Ofalia House
Local artist Jenny Bergin will facilitate a set of eight workshops in the local day care centre at Ofalia House. This will benefit around 80 older members of the community, who are often socially isolated and find it challenging to attend Creative Places, Edenderry workshops, events and sessions in the community because of transport and/or health issues.
There will be an opportunity for all group members to take part and create a clay bird, which will make up a larger piece. This collaborative artwork will then be displayed in the day care centre.
Outside of the workshops, Jenny will leave resources and materials for group members to work independently and explore their creativity through clay.
Maura Kearny, Youthwork Midlands
Project: The Acorn Project AMPLIFY Programme
A podcasting programme that allows young people to learn the skills and gain confidence in the areas of sound production, presenting and editing podcasts.
The programme will provide practical, hands-on, experiential workshops to give students a broad introduction into sound production for music production, podcasting, vlogging, and creating and editing content for sound to picture production. They will work in small group settings, providing a supported, encouraging learning environment whereby young people can learn from each other and work in teams to produce a piece of content at the end of the two-day workshop.
These workshops also aim to show available progression pathways for young learners that wish to pursue further education and possible career opportunities within this exciting and emerging industry. Each group will work to produce a podcast that can be used as promotional material for their schools, and will reflect current topics, successes and/or challenges the schools are facing.
Danna Davis Daly
Project: Sensory and Music Playgroup for Children of All Abilities
Danna Davis Daly is a professional stage actress, singer, and cartoon voice-over artist, as well as a dedicated drama and music educator.
Trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and HB Studios in New York, she toured extensively across the United States in musicals and toured with The Irish Divas. She is also a voice tutor for Ireland’s first BA in Musical Theatre at DIT Rathmines, and an Early Years Music Facilitator with Music Generation Offaly. Now based in Edenderry, she leads drama and music workshops for all ages.
With the support of the Creative Places Seed Grant, Danna is developing Edenderry’s first Sensory and Music Playgroup for Children of All Abilities. Rooted in inclusivity, this initiative creates a welcoming space where children with diverse sensory needs can engage in music and creative play alongside their peers. The group fosters an environment of exploration through movement, singing, and instrument play, using Lámh sign language, sensory-friendly adaptations, and a low-demand approach to participation.
Held in the Sensory Room at Edenderry Library, the playgroup will be parent-led, encouraging caregivers to actively engage with their children and shape activities to suit the group’s evolving needs. Families are welcome to attend together, promoting sibling inclusion and shared experiences. In addition to the play sessions, parents and carers will have opportunities to connect through dedicated meet-ups focused on relaxation, sound healing, and singing for wellbeing.
Ailish Moran
Project: Upcycling and Recycling workshops at The Cabin
Artist statement: “My name is Ailish Moran and I have been involved with Creative Places: Edenderry for the last 18 months. I am a local artist mainly focussed on facilitating arts and craft workshops.
I am thrilled to have been selected for the Seed Funding Grant. My project is based on upcycling and recycling – I love trying to make use of items that are heading for the bin. I am hoping that by showing others during our workshops how to recycle everyday items, they will be inspired to try some at home themselves. In turn they can share their new skills with family and friends.
These workshops will take place in the evening in order to be accessible for people who work during the day. Up until now I have facilitated one-off workshops and events for Creative Places: Edenderry, including working with the ‘Friends for Life’ group, working with children who have autism, the Community Social and ActiviTEA groups, and one-off events such as the Halloween Festival in a Van day, St. Patrick’s Day and more.”