Unleash your creative spark! Cruinniu na nÓg, a day of free creativity for young people, will take place on Saturday 7th June, 2025.

Creative Fingal proudly presents Cruinniú na nÓg; a day of free creativity for young people on 7th June, 2025. This year, we continue to embrace the invaluable insights from the Voice of The Child Survey, tailoring our programming to respond to the creative passions and interests of young people living in Fingal. Creative events will take place across Fingal library branches, while Blanchardstown, Balbriggan and Malahide Libraries will host Carnivals of Curiosity to engage and delight the community. Creative writing workshops, author and illustrator visits, graffiti art, coding classes, magic shows, circus performers, and much more will make it a day to remember. All events are free to attend, and details about each event can be found in the Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 brochure available at your local Fingal Library or on the Fingal County Council website - https://www.fingal.ie/cruinniu-na-nog-2025.   

We Own The Castle is this year’s Cruinniú Late Event, hosted by and Garageland Galaxyz. This music festival in Swords Castle, exclusively tailored for teenagers, will feature live performances from young talent on stage. The Chapel Sessions offer poetry and unplugged music, with Wavin’ Words Youth Poetry Slam offering an opportunity to slam, perform, speak or read...the open mic is yours!  Meanwhile, the Creative Village will enhance the festival vibe, allowing young people to customise their look for the day!

Travel through ‘The Corridor of Creativity’ from Blanchardstown Library to the Draíocht Arts Centre for the launch of Shapes & Structures – Creative Response Space, which will continue through the summer months. This provides a relaxed environment that will help you and your child to further explore and engage in creative play. Outside, OutWall, an immersive dance experience presented by Selma Daniel Dance, will explore architecture, movement and the concept of self-isolation. The Walls Project from Waterford Walls will also take place on the day, encouraging creative expression in young people as they design and paint murals together.

Author and Illustrator Chris Judge will visit schools across Fingal to create an artistic vision of what Fingal, and the world, will look like twenty years from now.  The finished artwork will be on display in Swords Castle Chapel on 7th June.

There will be something for everyone this June 7th, make sure to book your place!

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Brian McDonagh commented, “For all the young people across the county of Fingal, this year's programme of events for Cruinniú na nÓg is guaranteed to arouse curiosity and ignite the imagination.  With over 30 events running across a variety of venues including Swords Castle, Fingal Libraries, and Draíocht Blanchardstown, I encourage families and young people to explore the programme of events. The Cruinniú programme is an important part of the services offered to young people by Fingal and allows for access to creative activities in an inclusive and accessible way.” 

Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator for Fingal, Lilian Whelan added, “Cruinniú na nÓg is the annual day of free creativity for children and young people and has become an important fixture in the Fingal calendar. The Voice of the child has featured strongly in our planning and on foot of consultation with children and young people across Fingal, we now present an inclusive, free and varied programme. This year we invite young people to take over Swords Castle with a teen music event, We Own The Castle and if poetry is more your thing, Wavin’ Words will take place in the chapel in Swords Castle. This unique event, curated by poet Sheila Ryder featuring Leon Dunne and Sasha Terfous, will give everyone their chance to find their poetic voice. As always, Fingal Libraries will host a huge variety of creative events in our Carnivals of Curiosity. This year we welcome Draíocht to the Cruinniú programme, with dance, graffiti art and creative activities for families.”

Working In partnership with the 31 Local Authorities and supported by RTÉ, Creative Ireland works tirelessly to create a day where families and young people can participate in a wide range of fun creative activities that are all free.

Fingal County Council’s Cruinniú na nÓg programme has been collaboratively developed by the Creative & Cultural team which is made up of cross-departmental representatives with skills in many different areas of expertise.