Kildare Arts Service : Grants and Opportunities

Kildare County Council Arts Service announces

awards under Arts Grants 2025

Kildare County Council Arts Service has announced funding under the Arts Grants 2025, to support creative and artistic projects in County Kildare. Grant aid of €126,302 has been awarded via 17 separate schemes to 87 projects which will take place across all five of Kildare’s Municipal Districts in 2025. 

These awards support a broad spectrum of communities including artists across all art forms, schools, youth groups, theatre groups, film makers and members of the public who can avail of some of the services or opportunities that will run as a result of these grant supports. Projects that will be supported include large scale public events, concerts, exhibitions, performances, novels, artist residencies, short films and research work.

The Kildare Short Grass Film Commission Award 2025 will also be announced soon. This award supports film production in the county, by commissioning an original film to be shot in County Kildare in 2025/26.

In addition, Kildare County Council welcomed applications to the Kildare Creative Ireland Bursary Award 2025 and expressions of interest for the Kildare Cruinniú na nÓg Award 2025. Information on the projects funded under these awards will be published separately on the Creative Ireland website.
 

 

 

Full details of projects awarded under the Arts Grants 2025 can be found below. Many of the awarded grants only apply to an element of the awardee's proposed project.

Arts Act Grant 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Amie Dempsey Kildare / Newbridge Finishing a dystopian novel set in Kildare; facilitate a period of writing from April 2025 to September 2025, including planned research trips to the Curragh plains and Army Camp. 500
Angelina Foster Athy A 2 week artist residency in Northern Spain in May 2025 to develop Blueway Art Studio's future ancestor creative concepts by exploring the origins and evolution of Palaeolithic Art, where humans first illustrated their communities in cave paintings 40,000 years ago. 2239
Ann Groves Celbridge / Leixlip To progress to a professional standard of watercolour painting by upgrading studio and equipment. 400
Aoife McAtamney Celbridge / Leixlip To write a 40-minute solo collection of new music called Authors. Researched, created and performed for libraries in Kildare. The collection includes 3 long form songs, based on the books of several local female authors. The outcome will be a low-fi performance of Authors for Celbridge and Naas Library in August 2025. 1000
Brenda Kearney Clane / Maynooth A period of research and development focusing specifically on ceramics practice. Fully integrate practices of ceramic work and environmentally focused projects, with a view to learning, creating and sharing experimental and ecologically considerate approaches in ceramics.  1000
Catherine Greene Athy Time to create new work by exploring drawing and maquette making. 3 open studio days to discuss ongoing work and processes. 500
Cian  Ó Náraigh Kildare / Newbridge Develop the script of the play Anonn consisting of a week-long workshop with the creative team and design team,  concluding with a reading of the full script for an invited audience. 1500
Ciaran Austin Celbridge / Leixlip Present Our House the Madness Musical, April 29 - May 3, 2025, in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. This community-driven production features a diverse cast and crew, aiming to deliver a high-quality theatrical experience for audiences across Kildare.  800
Clane Musical Society Clane / Maynooth Production of the musical Sister Act,  March 31 -  April 5, 2025 in The Abbey, Clane, with an amateur cast of 35 aged between 16 and 74. 800
Claudia Reeves Athy Athy Film Club will continue to screen exemplars of world cinema selected for their artistic and cultural merit in Athy Community College while also adding extra features so as to reach wider audiences. 750
Clive Henry Naas Why Don't Hummingbirds Get Diabetes? is a memoir of navigating diabetes, spine disease, and shock diagnosis of a rare cancer gene. As the conditions entwine, Clive embarks on an odyssey of the soul to bring meaning to his life. Written in a humorous tone, the project edits the book's third draft. 1800
Clodagh Kelly Celbridge / Leixlip Collating and curating artworks for a solo exhibition. Playing with ways to juxtapose artwork into a complete visual narrative. Documenting the artwork for presentation to galleries and funding organisations. 616
Collette Kelly Clane / Maynooth Millicent Singer will invite an orchestra to join them for their Christmas Concerts in 2025.  800
Dave Hussey Celbridge / Leixlip Exhibition costs for a Watercolour Art Exhibition in Celbridge Library in October 2025. 250
David Walsh Athy To publish a collection of poetry based on experience of living and working in Athy over the past 65 years. 2500
Denis Kelly Celbridge / Leixlip To present a series of artworks on paper for a Solo Exhibition from Nov 16 - 30 2025 at Naas Library and Cultural Centre. 1500
Ena Fitzpatrick Celbridge / Leixlip Creating, developing, framing and exhibiting 20 artworks in Leixlip Community Library for the month of November 2025. Artworks will be a mix of paint, wool fibres and fused glass and will represent a selection of the flora, fauna and natural environment of Celbridge and the surrounding areas. 500
Fifi Smith Celbridge / Leixlip An installation of a freestanding framework of 2.1 m long tubular steel bars locked together at 10˚ angles. Two-dimensional acrylic and watercolour artworks mimicking the shapes created by the framework will be developed from a poem about Claude Monets’ perceptions in old age.  2500
Greg Hallahan Kildare / Newbridge Research towards a temporary art installation at Solas Bhride's celestial garden featuring glowing primordial shapes suspended in the air. Luminescent metal frames absorb sunlight and glow at night. Combining ancient and modern elements, it revitalizes the space, offering visitors a captivating, mystical experience that blends history with contemporary art. 500
Helen McManus Athy Writing a family history book which will include photos and stories of the author's grandparents and ancestors. 500
Hollie Murphy Kildare / Newbridge An artistic collaboration between writer Cian Ó Náraigh and Illustrator Hollie Murphy that explores Irish folklore through monologues, illustrations, and research. Blending oral tradition with contemporary storytelling. This project aims to preserve cultural heritage, share stories online, and potentially expand into immersive festival experiences. 500
Holly Parrow Clane / Maynooth Research, design, and create a series of ceramic artworks inspired by peatlands in Co Kildare that will be exhibited by the IPCC at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in Autumn 2025. 600
Ian Nolan Celbridge / Leixlip From June-September, the project will aim to connect the public, artists, and academics through walking tours and workshops; exploring Leixlip's waterways via personal, historical, and ecological perspectives. Embracing storytelling traditions, it promotes accessibility through the innovative use of technology. A final publication will showcase findings and celebrate connections between people, place, and environment. 950
Jack Colleran Kildare / Newbridge The creative development, production, and composition of the score for the short film 'I Woke Up Like This', which will be showcased both locally and internationally. 910
James Mahon Athy A photo documentary dealing with issues of addiction, homelessness and mental health as seen through the eyes of a young Traveller woman called Antoinette Foley. Told with a blend of documentary insight and poetic reflection, it is a testament to resilience and the fragile hope of redemption. 1400
Jane Gormley Naas CRAICLY is a storytelling project, founded in Kildare, which aims to re-connect people with the places they live in, through the art of storytelling. Community building is central to CRAICLY and this project has been created as a direct response to a rapid increase in loneliness and social isolation in our heavily digitised lifestyles. 500
joanne Duggan Naas A solo exhibition at Fráma Gallery, Naas May–July 2025, exploring, connection and perception through abstract painting. It will expand on the previous Grupa Exhibition work for Fráma and will showcase a refined creative process. Curated by Micheal Hennigan it will include and a limited-edition print exclusively during the show. 1318
John Geoghegan Naas To publish a poetry anthology and to continue with a creative writing group with Craddock House Nursing Home residents; inviting guest speakers; broadening knowledge and understanding of literature and collaborating with other local creative writing groups. 750
John Conway Celbridge / Leixlip Towards developing work and creating networking opportunities through studio visits at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios by updating website, creating a back catalogue of project material and framing and presenting work in studio. 650
Kelley Dolan Clane / Maynooth To develop practice as a composer, creating new musical theatre work in County Kildare. Towards composing original songs, collaborating with a mentor, and workshoping material with professional performers.  1000
Lara Coady Celbridge / Leixlip To write the finalised script of new play 'I lack pearls', incorporating research from Kildare Arts Service Research and Thinking Bursary Award 2023 and to present of a rehearsed reading of the play in 2025. 1200
Lianne O'Shea Naas Towards developing a rehearsal room ready draft of Ibsen’s A Dolls House (working from literal and well as literary translations). Hold a rehearsed reading of this draft with 5 professional actors at the Riverbank Arts Centre. Engage with dramaturg Tanya Deane to inform the development of the draft.  1575
Lye Baisley Celbridge / Leixlip To create a large oil painting about the experience of growing up being perceived as a woman in the world, what that means and how that shapes the way we hold ourselves and others - to exhibit in Kildare in June. 280
Mags Harper Naas Towards the purchase of a keyboard which is essential for performances and rehearsals to improve the quality of the Aria Choir choral work and performances - next scheduled concert is Ballycane church with Ballycane children's choir in June 2025. 699
Mark Butler Celbridge / Leixlip To assist with the cost of artist's materials and studio time to create a suite of seven new paintings at home studio in Leixlip, to be completed by 31 December 2025, with the goal of exhibiting this work publicly in County Kildare. 700
Martina O'Brien Naas To embark on a pivotal new strand of research, to undertake experimentation, and to develop and produce new artworks for exhibition. 1500
Martina McDonald Clane / Maynooth To create a new body of work from May - July consisting of a collection of four unique mixed-media monoprints which will be made at Leinster Print Studio and a studio in Clane, exploring Kildare’s connections to Antarctica. Using screen-printing, collage and painting,  historical research and personal experience will be incorporated to produce an engaging collection, to publicly exhibit. 1200
Mollie Mia Murphy Kildare / Newbridge Towards costs associated with a showing of ‘Thank God We’re Surrounded by Water’ at Beta Festival 2025.
‘Thank God We’re Surrounded by Water’ is a collaborative cross-disciplinary performance which will take place on the September 15th & 16th, The Lexicon.  		 450
Natasha Conway Athy To create a new body of large -scale paintings that expand on previous work through exploration of materiality, colour and surface in contemporary abstraction. 900
Niamh Hynan Clane / Maynooth Materials to continue to develop large scale paintings and to complete current new body of work 'Grounding' which consists of mixed media paintings, sculptures & interactive installation with ASMR recordings and to have these exhibition ready. 900
Noel Hensey Kildare / Newbridge A two-month long residency at PADA, Lisbon, Portugal, taking place April to June 2025. The production of a new body of work for a solo-exhibition at The Cash Shop gallery, Gort, Co. Galway, taking place September to October 2025. 2500
Olga Anacka Kildare / Newbridge To support the travel of the exhibition Patching Femininity to ProArte Gallery run by Association of Polish Visual Artists in Zielona Góra, Poland. 1200
Pamela de Bri Clane / Maynooth Towards an art publication in English and Irish as a permanent record of the island of Ireland. It will include photography of artist's paintings alongside articles on island life or events related to them. 1600
Pat Hendrick Clane / Maynooth Production of plays for 2025 in Newtown, Enfield, Co. Kildare. One act plays - 25 March to 29 March: Last Tango in Newtown (Little Grimley) by David Tristram & A Night Out by Frank Vickery. October 2025: The Weir by Conor McPherson. 800
Paul Hallahan Naas A solo exhibition of abstracted paintings at Fráma Gallery, Naas in early 2026, exploring Kildare’s landscapes as a starting point. Created over a number of months, 12–15 new works will be a record of the landscape here and now, referencing the past but engaging with the present. 2500
Pauline Keena Clane / Maynooth To continue to create a body of artworks using sculpture, film and drawing to create stories of human existence in circumstances of extreme suffering e.g. grief, terminal illness. Current practice involves the creation of three bodies of work which will show this year at two separate venues. 1000
Penny Smith Celbridge / Leixlip To support the work of Full Stops & Comments Writing Group to engage an established author, and a publishing expert, to deliver two half-day workshops in order to improve member's knowledge and development of writing skills, and the editing and presentation requirements for successful publication. 900
Peter McCluskey Celbridge / Leixlip To create and frame 15 watercolour and graphic pen artworks resulting in A Kildare Panorama. Each piece will be themed on a significant / a well-known / a historic site / a historical figure in, or from, the county of Kildare. 1000
Phoebe O'Leary O'Leary Celbridge / Leixlip Expansion of Ardclough Youth Theatre's senior ensemble (ages 16–24) who will develop their theatre-making skills through Alice Birch’s [BLANK] - a powerful exploration of the criminal justice system’s impact on women and children, which is experimental in form, culminating in performances at Straffan Community Hall and The Moat Theatre. 1360
Rory Dignam Kildare / Newbridge Newbridge Musical Theatre presents its 2025 debut of the strong female-led musical The Witches of Eastwick at Newbridge College (21–26 April). A groundbreaking production, it celebrates sisterhood, female empowerment, and community diversity. Rehearsals at Scoil Mhuire unite local and regional talent, enriching Newbridge’s cultural landscape with fresh, innovative theatre. 800
Rosemary Noonan Naas With mentorship from Donal Murray, to develop a new body of artworks expanding on themes from the previous show Whispers of Resilience, exploring female identity and motherhood. This project will refine the portraiture technique, enhance practice, and expand A Rosie View.  500
Saidhbhin Gibson Celbridge / Leixlip To present a new artwork at the 5th European Wool Conference in Italy this year. This in-person presentation will give an overview of the artist's visual art practice and a new video essay addressing urgent topics including valuing sustainable and local produced materials (wool). 675
Shane Hynan Clane / Maynooth A collaborative short documentary film shot by Mike O’Toole about the work being made by Shane Hynan leading up to a solo exhibition in 2026. This will draw upon both his ‘Beneath | Beofhód’ and ‘Tóch | Dig’ projects with contributions from local peatland communities and a selected panel of specialists. 2400
Sheena Malone Clane / Maynooth A documentary investigating a piece of land where grass won't grow in Garrisker, near Broadford in north Kildare, a spot upon which local folklore tells of a woman being murdered in the 19th century. A period of research on songs about the bog in the Irish trad music canon. 2200
Tara Carroll Naas To work with video and sound producer Sal Stapleton and photographer Niamh Barry to professionally document the artist's solo exhibition 'Resonances Ripples' in Sirius Arts Centre, Cork. This will result in an accessible creative video work of the exhibition. It will include animated closed captioning of experiential audio description / sound piece. 1200
Valerie Malone Athy Pike Hill (provisional title) is a literary work based on real life events in Kildare Town and surrounding districts in May 1798, when 350 rebels were slaughtered on the Curragh Plains. The tale revolves around the lives of the townspeople during the weeklong revolt.  700
         
Arts in Education Residency Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Liadain Butler Kildare / Newbridge A Textile Project for a new journey inspired by biodiversity and nature. Over 8 weeks, final year students of Kildare Town Educate Together NS will explore textile processes of weaving, felting, embroidery and plastic fusing. By the end of the project, each child will have a handmade magic bag that symbolises their strengths and dreams.  2500
Sheena Malone Clane / Maynooth A project using shadow theatre to tell the stories of well-known people from Kildare in which pupils from 4th/5th class,
Scoil an Linbh Íosa, Prosperous, will work in groups to design and create their own puppets, write scripts of their stories and act out the stories before presenting them in their own special film premiere.		 2500
         
Arts, Health & Wellbeing Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin Naas Tanya Turner, a professional dancer and leg amputee will conduct research for a transformative dance performance exploring the emotional journey of disability. Through storytelling, dance, burlesque, and aerial arts, the show will challenge stereotypes and celebrate beauty, strength, and resilience, culminating in a joyous finale. 4000
Kathrina Hughes Naas "Every Picture Tells a Story" is a participatory art project, engaging clients of Naas Day Care Centre in a creative process combining storytelling and embroidery. Participants are invited to share meaningful photographs, recounting the stories behind each image. The copied photos are embellished with embroidery stitch, resulting in embellished memories. 4000
Marta Golubowska Naas A series of clay workshops in collaboration with the Kildare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland. The group of adults will avail of this courtesy of Kare Newbridge, who will provide the space each week. The workshop could lead to an exhibition on Down Syndrome Day, 21 March 2026. 4000
         
Artistic Entrepreneur Bursary Award 2025, in association with Kildare Local Enterprise Office (LEO)
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Jane Gormley Naas CRAICLY is a storytelling project, operating from Allenwood, Kildare who work on creative storytelling projects that aim to reconnect people and places through the art of storytelling. In an era of increasingly digitised communication, CRAICLY works to address the social implications and isolation created by this.  1200
         
Culture Night 2025 Commission Award
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Eimear Crehan Clane / Maynooth To expand upon, grow and develop the popular Live in the Garden, which has run for the past 3 years for Culture Night in Kilcock.  4000
Hazel Larkin Kildare / Newbridge Kildare Traveller Action proposes an Ethnodrama piece. Travellers in County Kildare will work with an experienced facilitator to produce, through a series of workshops, a piece of theatre that reflects the lived experiences of discrimination against members of the Traveller community in the county. 4000
Max Zaska Kildare / Newbridge The 7-piece soul-funk-jazz band ZASKA will perform in the beautiful Woodstack Cafe in Monasterevin. The event will be accessible to all incomes, ages, and ethnicities who live locally, including those in Direct Provision Centres. This live performance of Music of Black Origin will address sustainability and will be recorded. 4000
         
Dennis O'Driscoll Literary Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Cian Geoghegan Clane / Maynooth Cian Geoghegan is a writer and filmmaker, currently working in corporate communications, who wishes to work on his first novella, Stouted. His short film projects System and The Total Station were selected for numerous film festivals in Ireland and internationally.  1500
Roisin Ni Neachtain Kildare / Newbridge To complete a fifth collection of poetry "The Blush Vein" - a book exploring trauma and the climate crisis in Ireland. 2000
         
Drama League of Ireland Summer School Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Caoimhe O'Farrell Celbridge / Leixlip To develop a concept for a play and how to translate it into vivid and fresh performances. To explore how to generate authentic blocking, how to focus action and build strong intention. 665
Phoebe  O'Leary Celbridge / Leixlip To attend the stage movement course, which will enhance ability to manage larger casts, improve practice, and elevate the quality of youth arts in Kildare. 665
         
Emerging Artist Solo Exhibition Award, in Partnership with Riverbank Arts Centre
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Benjamin Morrison Naas To showcase ongoing interdisciplinary artistic work, When it Rains. When it Rains is an intergenerational voyage of written memoir and embodied perception.  3000
         
Executive Coaching for Creative Professionals Bursary Award 
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Jim Xi Johnson Clane / Maynooth For coaching on the practical and creative aspects of establishing an early artistic career as a photographer to inform the thematic development of the work, building projects, sourcing opportunities and improving branding. 600
Rosemary Noonan Naas Guidance to integrate movement therapy into a multidisciplinary visual artist practice that focuses on female mental health and facilitated art workshops at Craddockstown House. 600
         
First Fortnight Award 2025, in partnership with First Fortnight Festival
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Gráinne Hunt Clane / Maynooth Queer Arrivals is a powerful music-based performance exploring the artist's journey of self-discovery and coming out in her 40s. Through heartfelt songs and stories, the show navigates identity, belonging, and acceptance. Presented at the Riverbank, it highlights the intersection of queerness and mental health, challenging stigma through artistic expression. 4000
Kate Maher Kildare / Newbridge Threads of Connection: a six-week community quilt project with Dúlra at Kilcullen Library’s garden. Through weekly textile workshops using plant-based techniques, participants will create individual fabric squares, forming a collective quilt. This nature-inspired, intergenerational project fosters storytelling, creativity, and mental well-being, culminating in a public exhibition during First Fortnight 2026. 4000
         
Local Publishing Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Catherine Fleming Celbridge / Leixlip Talking Walls will tell the story of the social history of Celbridge Workhouse, from 1841 onward. Celbridge Workhouse has stories of despair. It also speaks of hope, and survival. A landmark building at the core of the social fabric of the town, It became, a source of employment and resurrected itself as a positive feature. 900
         
Platform 4 Recording Studio Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Sarah McGinn Naas The next series of Life's Too Short podcast will feature in-studio guest interviews for the first time, enhancing audio and video quality. Set for mid-2025, it will include diverse guests, deeper discussions on grief and mental health, and a stronger production team to elevate the podcast's impact. 1250
Emma Dunleavy Naas To complete a vocal reel as a musical theatre performer which  is an essential part of being a performer in the theatre industry.  1250
         
Research and Thinking Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Declan Toohey Clane / Maynooth Research towards a first collection of short stories, namely by reading work from Donald Barthelme, Thomas Morris, Sheila Armstrong, Mariana Enríquez and Tony Tulamitthe, but also by drafting three to four stories under the mentorship of Jan Carson between July and September 2025. 2200
Sandie Purcell Naas Research orchestral works which feature the uilleann pipes and to gain a better insight into the combination of this instrument and its genre with classical, orchestral music. To work with uilleann piper and scholar, Mark Redmond, to enhance knowledge for new compositions.  2200
         
Short Grass Film Bursary 2025 
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Brian McCarthy Naas To complete post-production services such as sound mix, sound edit, score, and colour grade for the short film ‘Culchie’, created by Kildare filmmakers By Minute Productions and Darn Skippy Productions.  1500
Cian Geoghegan Clane/Maynooth To complete the short documentary project based on Jerome Kamara who reflects on his experiences being captured and forced into a child army at the age of seven. Now happily settled in Ireland, he raises his son and tries to give him the childhood he never had. 1500
Dolapo Agunbiade Kildare/Newbridge To focus on refining the script for this short comedy-drama to ensure a compelling and emotionally resonant story. To work with script editors who will provide professional insight into narrative structure, character arcs, pacing, and tone. 1500
         
Tyrone Guthrie Residency Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Emer McLysaght Naas A book of essays based on childhood, ageing, loneliness and mental health. This will be a work of creative non-fiction about the autor's upbringing just outside the village of Kill, Co. Kildare. 750
Gary Finnegan Celbridge / Leixlip To develop and write a novel, building on an existing short story already written. The novel centres on the lives of two young friends who take a holiday together in the summer between the end of school and the start of university. Their plans are undone by tragedy. 750
         
Youth Arts Bursary Award 2025
First Name Last Name Municipal District Brief summary of proposed project Award €
Kasia Eliasz Clane / Maynooth Everybody Dance Inclusive Programme, with Monica Munoz, will focus on the importance of the individuals physicality and will allow each participant’s physicality to be explored and expanded. Dance is an accessible language that is configured as an excellent tool for communication. This programme is especially tailored for participants from Purple Door. 2500
Celine Hanratty Celbridge / Leixlip A two-week site-specific theatre project at Tea Lane Chapel, Celbridge, will introduce teenagers from Playacting Youth Theatre to documentary theatre. They will research, interview, and devise performances on issues affecting their lives. The project provides a space to create, collaborate, and perform, culminating in two public shows highlighting their perspectives and experiences. 2500

 

Kildare Arts Service Arts Grants for 2025.

We had 19 grants, commissions and bursary award opportunities to support the development and presentation of creative and artistic projects in the county in 2025. Applications were accepted from individual artists and creatives, arts collectives, community groups, youth groups and schools.

The deadline for receipt of applications was 12pm, Friday 28th February 2025.

List of Grants:

Other Grants / opportunities: