Culture Night

Culture Night ‘One Night for All’ – Friday 22^nd September 2023

Louth County Council is supporting Culture Night, an initiative of the Arts Council of Ireland, which kicks off on Friday 22^nd September.

This year’s theme is ‘One Night For All’ and it gives everyone in Louth a wonderful opportunity to showcase all the county has to offer.

Louth County Council Arts Office issued a call out in July asking people to get involved, and were delighted with the public response.

Louth County Council’s Acting Arts Officer and Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator, Moya Hodgers said: “Culture Night has been running for an incredible 18 years. It continues to invite everyone everywhere, on one joyful night, to discover and celebrate all that our culture is today. This is a national moment connecting everyone to cultural activities locally and nationally and opening up pathways to ongoing engagement.”

“This year we have everything from a Poetry SOS clinic in the county museum to a visual art project and live music in Dundalk library. An Táin Arts Centre and Droichead Arts Centre will open their doors with a range of activities including artist in residence workshops, podcasts and live music,” added Moya.

Mo Chara, Dundalk will also celebrate the local live music and art of Dundalk with performances and artist talks.

Drogheda library is set to host a photography exhibition which has been developed over the last few weeks with Ukrainian and Irish photographers who have worked with displaced Ukrainian families in the area. The ‘Journey of Hope’ exhibition will show a range of images of the war in Ukraine along with images of families who have made Ireland their home over the past 18 months.

Artist studios in both Dundalk and Drogheda will also be opened with 8 Fold Artists in Drogheda and Bridge Street Studios and Bo Studios in Dundalk all opening their doors to the public.

The Boyne Tradfest kicks off on Culture Night with a host of music and singing sessions across various venues in Drogheda. Townley Hall opens its doors with free tours and AAEX (Art as Exchange) will host a special evening in the Creative Spark Downtown Hub where participants can create their own art and contribute to a larger scale piece that will grow throughout the night. And there will be more live music with Comhaltas in the Oriel Centre (Dundalk Gaol) and the Ardee Brass Band in Ardee library.

There are a wide range of events happening for everyone to enjoy on Friday 22^nd September. All events are free, but some will require booking in advance due to limited spaces. For full information on each of the events go to the Culture Night website @ https://culturenight.ie/Louth/ or to the Louth County Council website on https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/services/arts/ and click on the Culture Night 2023 button to get full details of our programme.