Welcome to Creative Waterford

ABOUT US​

Creative Waterford is part of the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-government initiative committed to enhancing access to, engagement with, and enjoyment of Ireland’s culture and creativity. Within the broad range of available definitions, creativity is considered as a set of innate abilities and learned skills; the capacity of individuals and organisations to transcend accepted ideas and norms by drawing on imagination to create new ideas that bring additional value to human activity. ​

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Creative Waterford Small/Pilot Projects Grant Call 2026

Creative Waterford are offering 7 grants of up €1000 for artists and community groups in Waterford City and County to run a small creative community project between September and October 2026. 
 
Individual creatives arts collectives or community groups can apply for the grant.  
 
For community groups and creative collectives, the applicants must have an active bank account in the name of the group that the grant can be paid in to. 
 
Projects must be completed with all supporting documentation submitted by Monday October 26th. 
 
This is an ideal opportunity for community groups who may not have done a creative project in the past to trial using creative practices and working with creative practitioners in their community. If your community group wants to trial a creative project but does not have connections to a suitable artist or creative facilitator, contact Creative Waterford and we can offer advice on practicing creative facilitators in Waterford for you to make contact with. We cannot offer recommendations on an individual creative practitioners’ suitability for a particular project, we will only be facilitating an introduction. 
 
We welcome applications to pilot community arts projects that could be considered for the Creative Waterford Open Call grant round in 2027. 
 
Creatives or creative practitioner can mean an artist and can also include wellbeing facilitators, archivists, architects, local historians. If you are unsure check with the Creative Waterford team. 
 
Applications can be made via waterford.submit.com.
 
If you have any questions on the grant or application process please contact cwaterford@waterfordcouncil.ie

Beyond the Workshop: Creative Practitioners Wellbeing Pilot Programme

Creative Waterford is piloting a support program for creative practitioners and facilitators based in Waterford City and County who regularly and consistently work with community groups either as part of or alongside their artistic practice.  

The pilot is open to applications from artists at any career stage and artistic discipline. The program will run from August 2026-Feburary 2027 and involve monthly facilitated sessions with a creative wellbeing facilitator.  

The aim of the pilot is to explore the potential to foster a resilient and sustainable cultural ecosystem for creative practitioners by providing them with “protected time” to engage in reflective practice and self-care.

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Creatives and AI Survey Link

Please take our survey to share your views on creativity and AI:

https://tinyurl.com/CreativePractice-AI

Creative Waterford Open Call project 2022 The Voice of the Young People

OPEN CALL​

Every spring, Creative Ireland, Waterford invites Waterford people to see themselves as co-creators of their own cultural and creative experiences and apply for the annual Open Call.  

New, ambitious, and meaningful collaborations between people and communities are encouraged. Applications are open to community and voluntary groups, organisations, venues, artists, writers, performers, archaeologists, historians, architects, archivists, schools, colleges, and individuals who have something to contribute to creativity and culture within Waterford. 

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Waterford's Traces Dance Ensemble participating in Cruinniú na nÓg 2022

CRUINNIÚ NA NÓG

A day of free creativity for children and young people. A day of free creativity for children and young people.

Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people. The inaugural Cruinniú na nÓg took place on 23rd June 2018 and for the past number of years, including under exceptional circumstances in 2020, young people and families have come together to enjoy, a wide range of creative activities including workshops and tutorials to recitals and readings in every city, town and village across the country.

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Waterford Walls mural of Senan and his favourite book, ‘The Little Prince’. Artists were Zabou and Juliette Viodé. Browns Road Library. Photographer Ana Moretti.

There is something special that happens when we sing together, an indescribable sense of belonging that can transform how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. This project reminded us all about this shared feeling, whether 10 years old or 90+, through music we can appreciate and be part of a shared identity, heritage and culture. Creative Ireland support towards this project enabled us to capture moments in time, moments where music brought two generations together where we could reflect on the past and dream for the future.

Shauna McCullough, Music Development Officer — Music Generation Waterford

01/10/2021. FREE TO USE IMAGE. Pictured at Kilmacthomas National School, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford where the Bealtaine choir sang with 2nd and 3rd class. Its part of Creative Ireland Intergenerational Music Project and its the first time that the children and Bealtaine choir members sang together. Picture: Patrick Browne

The Creative Social Enterprise Programme for local migrant communities, led by Waterford Integration Services and supported by Creative Waterford, provides business opportunities, qualification and financial independence through creative expression of cultural identities. The programme’s creative output delivers animation through vibrant culturally embedded products, services, and performances, enhancing the creative capabilities and earning potential of our migrant communities.

Anne Nolan, Programme Lead — Waterford Integration Services.

Recent Posts

Beyond the Workshop: Creative Facilitators Wellbeing Pilot Programme

by creativewaterford, posted in CREATIVE WATERFORD

When our work is dedicated to fostering creativity, well-being, and expression in others, it can be easy to lose sight of our own creative source. A recent research piece commissioned by Creative Waterford highlighted a shared longing among practitioners for a supportive reflective space to step away from the demands of day-to-day project delivery and … Continue reading Beyond the Workshop: Creative Facilitators Wellbeing Pilot Programme

Waterford Find It’s Creative Spark on Cruinniú na nÓg Day

by creativewaterford, posted in CREATIVE WATERFORD

  Waterford City and County came alive on Saturday, June 6th as Cruinniú na nÓg 2026 inspired children and young people to do, make and create through a vibrant and inclusive programme of free events across the region.  Part of Creative Ireland’s national initiative to celebrate and nurture the creative potential of every child, the day placed young people at its heart, by—empowering them as creators, participants and audiences.  In the … Continue reading Waterford Find It’s Creative Spark on Cruinniú na nÓg Day

Open Call 2026

by creativewaterford, posted in CREATIVE WATERFORD

The Creative Waterford Open Call 2026 is open for submissions from 12th January – 6th February 2026. Here are some resources to help you with your application: Overall Open Call premise: What is the Creative Waterford Open Call? Culture and Creativity Strategy: Culture & Creativity Strategy 2023 – 2027 Information and guidelines documents: https://waterfordcouncil.ie/services/culture-heritage/creative-waterford/   … Continue reading Open Call 2026

Corina Duyn Wins Prestigious Award

by creativewaterford, posted in CREATIVE WATERFORD

Creative Waterford is thrilled to celebrate artist and writer Corina Duyn, whose extraordinary book In Bed I Cut Words has been awarded First Prize in the Anthologies category at the Carousel Aware Prize for Independent Authors (The CAP Awards). The award was announced by patron and Booker Prize–winning author Paul Lynch at the 2025 Golden … Continue reading Corina Duyn Wins Prestigious Award

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