Celebrating Creativity in Older Age
During the month of May each year Sligo celebrates the contribution of arts to the well being of older individuals, communities, life-long learning and active citizenship in the county.
Bealtaine is a festival that is celebrated nationally for the entire month of May and Sligo has participated in this national festival for nine years.
Sligo County Council Arts Service in partnership with the Health Promotion Office of the Health Service Executive West and the national organising body Age and Opportunity, support and fund a range of arts activities and artist residencies that take place in arts venues, community venues, care settings and within active age groups throughout the county and throughout the year.
These activities are showcased and celebrated during the month of May. Alongside the groups that are supported and funded in this way there are a number of groups that organise their own events, largely on a voluntary basis for this Bealtaine Festival in Sligo. All events are listed on the same festival brochure.
In 2009 the highlight of the Bealtaine Festival was the ‘From the Feet Up’ Artist in Residence Project with Gurteen, Skreen and Enniscrone Active Age Groups, the Avalon Arts in Health Project (formerly St Anne’s Centre) and key individuals residing in Co Sligo who represent a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles within the Bealtaine criteria of 55+ years of age. The project was co-ordinated by artist Catherine Fanning and writer Maura Gilligan in collaboration with photographer James Fraher, singer songwriter Cathy Jordan and film-maker Caroline Clancy. The residency produced written lines of conversations, verses, stories, a commissioned song, film and photographic portraits. These works were programmed throughout the Festival in
- An Exhibition of Photographic Portraiture and Words at The Hawk’s Well Theatre
- Storytelling at The History Cottage, Rathcormack, part of the Cos Cos Sean Nos Festival
- Readings, performances and film screenings at the Coleman Heritage Centre and The Factory Performance Space.
