The Creative Ireland Programme is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is an all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme with the ambition to inspire and transform people, places and communities through creativity. Creative Ireland is committed to the vision that every person in Ireland should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential.

Established in 2017, Creative Ireland was born out of Ireland 2016, the state initiative to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Easter Rising. The Programme drew inspiration from the extraordinary public response to the Centenary and the thousands of largely culture-based events exploring issues of identity, community, culture, heritage and citizenship.

Creative Ireland believes in the power and creative potential of people, organisations and government departments working together, sharing expertise, to catalyse ideas and action. The Programme is built around key themes: 

• Creative Youth
• Creative Communities
• Creative Health and Wellbeing
• Creative Climate Action
• Creative Industries

dlr’s Creative Ireland programme delivers across these themes, with a focus on Creative Communities, Creative Health and Wellbeing and Creative Youth through the Cruinniú na nÓg programme. Harnessing the creative potential of our people and communities is a cornerstone of the Creative Ireland Programme.

In each local authority, the Creative Ireland Programme has established a Culture and Creativity Team which brings together local expertise in arts, heritage, libraries, enterprise, parks, architecture, community engagement, and more, to foster collaboration and spark new initiatives. With the help of local artists, creatives, cultural and heritage organisations and community groups across the country, dlr has created a five-year Culture and Creativity Strategy 2023–2027.

For more information on the dlr Creative Ireland programme and Culture Team, go to our page on the Creative Ireland Website