NEIC Community Arts Programme R&D Awards: Recipients Announced

We are delighted to announce the five recipients of NEIC Community Arts Programme Research and Development Awards. We look forward to supporting these artists and communities in 2026.

The Research and Development Awards, valued at €5,000 each, are designed to support artists and creative practitioners living or working in the NEIC to explore new ideas and develop meaningful relationships with local communities. This award recognises bold, brilliant ideas rooted in the community.

Ciara Byrne will work with residents of North Wall / Sheriff Street, exploring folklore and oral histories with older people through drama. This award will provide a space where older members of the community can come together and be involved in shaping how their experiences are represented in the arts.

Romi Beiroa Rey, Mud Island Community Garden and residents in the NEIC will explore reclaiming the streets through performance art. The work seeks to address common goals: improving outreach, accessibility, and participation, and ensuring everyone feels included in the NEIC’s vibrant cultural landscape.

Seán Farrelly will work with LYCS and Fighting Words, using AI as a lens to explore personal identity with young people. This project creates space for young people (ages 14-19) in the NEIC to document, reflect on, and share their authentic digital experiences.

Shireen Shortt and SWAN youth service will explore activism with young people through photography and moving image. This will allow and encourage participants to reflect on their environment and create work that captures and communicates their relationship with and experience of the NEIC.

Sylvain (Silver) Kezir will work with refugees and asylum seekers in the NEIC, using movement & dance to explore personal and collective narratives. This project aims to create safe, inclusive spaces where all residents—new and established—can connect through rhythm, movement, and shared creativity,

This award was very competitive, with 26 applications received for only five awards. We are grateful to each applicant, and look forward to working with them in the future through the NEIC Community Arts Programme.

The Research and Development awards are part of the NEIC Community Arts Programme, managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.

The panel which determined this award was chaired by Áine Crowley Programme Manager Arts and Engagement, and consisted of Pat Gates, YPAR Coordinator, Ray Hegarty, socially engaged artist, and Taryn de Vere, coordinator Creative Places Darndale. Jane O’Rourke, Create’s Office manager, observed and took minutes, and Fiona O’Neill, NEIC Community Arts Programme coordinator was an observer.