Minister for Children Norma Foley receives a Letter of Imagination from children to mark Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s National Day of Creativity for Children and Young People
- Foilsithe: 6 Meitheamh 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 6 Meitheamh 2025
Minister for Children, Equality and Disability Norma Foley has received a Letter of Imagination from a group of children to mark Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s national day of free creativity for children and young people.
Taking place on Saturday 7 June, this all-island celebration will host over 1,000 free events across the country, celebrating creativity through music, art, circus, storytelling film and more.
Winter O’Neill Alvarez, Finn Greene, Aine Ryan, Marie Ryan and Teidí Dowling hand-delivered the letter to Minister Foley at Government Buildings.
Ireland is the only country in the world to have a national day celebrating young people’s creativity. Creative Ireland invites all young people to explore something new, unlock their imagination, and be part of this unique celebration of creativity and expression.
Personalised hand decorated letters, designed by young children at a Cruinniú na nÓg art workshop, were delivered to Government Ministers and President Michael D. Higgins to mark Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland’s National Day of Creativity.
Minister Foley thanked the children for their hand-delivered letter in Government Buildings.
She said:
"This year Cruinniú na nÓg promises an exciting and inclusive programme, from filmmaking to circus workshops, song writing to sensory events. There’s something for children and young people of all ages, with Cruinniú Late events offering safe, fun spaces for teenagers to explore and showcase their creativity. These 1000+ events wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding work of our local authority culture and creativity teams."
Cruinniú na nÓg highlights include:
- Circus Picnics - Presented by Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network (ISACS), invite young people to explore circus skills in a relaxed, picnic-style setting at locations nationwide
- Rock the Block - A high-energy, youth-led celebration of music, dance, and street culture taking place in Knocknaheeny, Cork
- We Own the Castle -A live youth music festival set in the historic surrounds of Swords Castle, giving young performers a chance to take centre stage
- The Walls Project - During May, workshops in 13 locations will offer young people the opportunity to work with professional mural artists, exploring colour, design, and graffiti techniques to create large-scale public artworks
- Youth Theatre Ireland Gatherings - 21 youth theatre groups will unite in five regional hubs to collaborate, perform, and celebrate their creativity as part of the Youth Theatre Ireland project
- RTÉ This is Art! 2025 - Creative Ireland and RTÉ’s celebrated national art competition for young people returns
Notes
The Creative Ireland Programme is an all-of-government, culture-based initiative, led by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media that emphasises the importance of human creativity for individual, community and societal wellbeing.
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme, in partnership with 31 local authorities and RTÉ.
The Shared Island initiative is a whole of government priority to engage with all communities and political traditions to build consensus around a shared future on the island, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement.
Letter to Minister Foley
Dear Minister Foley
I’m one of the children of Ireland.
And I love to create.
Some of us build things.
Some of us draw.
Some of us dance.
Some of us imagine quietly.
But all of us have ideas.
And Cruinniú na nÓg is the one day that says:
Your ideas matter.
It’s not about winning.
Or being the best.
It’s about making something —
anything — that’s ours.
Like a song with no words.
A drawing that makes no sense.
A robot made from cereal boxes.
A dream that doesn’t need permission.
Thank you for helping give us
a National Day of Creativity.