A Fresh Approach to Public Arts for Kilkenny
Kilkenny is set to become a hub of artistic innovation as Kilkenny County Council announces five new bold public art commissions. Following a highly competitive process—with proposals coming from the US, Europe, Mexico and beyond—five exceptional projects have been chosen which will enrich and evolve the county’s artistic landscape over the next two years.
Funded through the Percent for Art scheme and devised and managed by Kilkenny County Council Arts Office these commissions represent a total investment of more than €450,000. Each project is designed to deeply engage with local communities and to ensure that people who live in and visit Kilkenny can experience captivating, thought-provoking and innovative public art. The five projects span multiple disciplines—film, dance, theatre, visual arts, and literature—ensuring a stimulating and diverse programme of public art experiences.
The Successful Commissions:
🔹 Brown Mountain Diamond – Rural Life 1.0 Five artists will take up month-long residencies in North Kilkenny, working alongside local community groups to create and showcase art in an immersive public exhibition. You can read more about this project at their website: https://www.thebrownmountain.com/index.php/p/rural-life-10/
🔹 Asylum Productions – The Alice Project An ambitious, multi-part theatrical work exploring the legend of Alice Kytler and Petronella. This interdisciplinary production invites everyone in the community to take part—no experience required! You can read more about this project at the following links:
https://www.kilkennyarts.ie/programme/the-words-of-alice
🔹 Fearghus Ó Conchúir – Extra Time A dance film celebrating Kilkenny’s deep-rooted hurling and camogie traditions. Athletes and performers from across the county will unite to create a powerful, movement-driven tribute to the games.
🔹 Straymaker – CÓRA A mesmerizing multi-disciplinary project blending choral music, documentary, poetry, design, and animation to craft an evocative film about the heritage of Irish healing practices.
🔹 Pauline O’Connell – From Hide to Heel A cinematic journey into Kilkenny’s industrial and agricultural past, focusing on Padmore & Barnes and the old Cattle Mart, unearthing the stories that shaped the county’s identity.
These visionary commissions bring together artists across all disciplines while ensuring that community engagement is at the heart of each project. This programme is the first of its kind for Kilkenny setting the standard for how public art is imagined, produced, and experienced locally and into the future.
“People tend to think of public art as statues or sculptures often along a motorway,” says Mary Butler, Arts Officer for Kilkenny County Council, “but Public Arts has the potential to be so much more, and we are embracing that in Kilkenny by commissioning theatre makers, dancers, visual artists and filmmakers. These artists bring enormous potential to connect authentically with the people of Kilkenny, creating work that excites, challenges, and inspires.”
A Lasting Legacy in Print
Capturing the essence of this pioneering Public Arts programme, five of Ireland’s leading contemporary authors will each produce original essays documenting the creative journeys behind the commissions. These essays, complemented by images, will be compiled into a beautifully designed, full-colour publication—offering behind-the-scenes access to the artistic process and journey of each commission. The publication will be freely available throughout Kilkenny and online, ensuring that this wonderful Public Arts Programme leaves a lasting impression.
For further information, contact: Kilkenny Arts Officer, Mary Butler: mary.butler@kilkennycoco.ie
Sharon Phelan recording sound at the Salmon Pool as part of her residency at Brown Mountain Diamond. Photo: Carl Giffney, 2025
Artist Teams
Brown Mountain Diamond
Administrator and project lead – Carl Giffney
Curatorial site visits, networking, exhibition management – Sara Damaris Muthi
Communication, design, project management – Eimear Malone
Community group research, facilitation – Rachel Botha
Participating Artists
Bog Cottage
Paddy Bloomer
Maria McKinney
Sharon Phelan
John Byrne
Asylum Productions – The Alice Project
Co-artictic director – Medb Lambert
Co-artistic director – Dónal Gallagher
Producer – Maura O Keefe
Choreographer – Cindy Cummings
Aerial Artist – Jonah McGreevy
Line Producer – Joe Murphy
Co-producer – Janice de Breathe
Creative Collaborator – John Morton
Writer – Fern Kealy
Community Liaison Officer – Martin Matthews
Partner Organisations
Kilkenny Arts Festival
Watergate Theatre
Barnstorm
Fearghus Ó Conchúir – Extra Time
Creative lead and director: Fearghus Ó Conchúir
Rehearsal director/Assistant – Lucia Kickham
Producer – Cian O Brien
Film production company – Red Show Productions
Film director – Dearbhla Walsh
Composer and Sound Designer – Alma Kelliher
Straymaker – CÓRA
Composer, Co-director and co-librettist – Michael Gallen
Co-director: filmmaker and choreographer – Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern
Co-librettist – Annemarie Ní Churreáin
Animation designer – Ross Stewart
Musical director – Clara Baget
Set Designer – Pai Rathaus
Sound Engineer – Simon Cullen
Expert advisor in Mincéir/Traveller Culture – Oein de Bhairduin
Producer – Maura O’Keefe
Pauline O’Connell – From Hide to Heel
Project Team
Creative lead: Pauline O’Connell
Heritage Consultant, Project Manager – Eimear O’Connell
Project Manager KK – Nicky Read
Director of Photography – Kevin Hughes
Assistant Cameraman – Brendan Comerford
Film- maker/Film Grading – Michael Higgins
Sound Mixer – Simon Willis
Photographer – Brian Cregan
Project Manager: Vincent O’ Shea
A Lasting Legacy in Print: the print archival project is being led by Brendan Mac Evilly, the Kilkenny Arts Office’s Emerging Curator in Public Arts.
