This commission is open to applications from professional artists who create art for and with children from ten to thirteen years of age.
What does this Commission offer?
· €23,000
· Opportunity to create art with, and for, children from ten to thirteen years of age.
About this Commission
Cruinniú na nÓg is the National Day of Creativity for children and young people in Ireland, developed by Creative Ireland. To celebrate Cruinniú na nÓg 2026 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has partnered with Kilcross Youth Club and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Children and Young People’s Services Committee to offer an artist/s a commission to create new work for Cruinniú na nÓg 2026.
This opportunity is funded by Creative Ireland and supported by the partners.
This commission is to support the development of new creative experiences for children. This could be a co-created performance with the children, or it could be working towards a local celebratory event. Kilcross Youth Club are open to all ideas but have highlighted a local nature reserve and a heritage site for artists to consider as resources on their doorstep. Beside Kilcross Estate is
Fitzsimmons Wood, a local nature reserve. Also of interest is
The Pale which is still visible and links to the heritage of the area.
The children and volunteers from Kilcross Youth Club (details about the club below) are to be viewed as collaborators on this commission. The children, aged ten to thirteen, and support volunteers will work with the selected artist/s to develop the commission from early November 2025 to May 2026. Approximately eight to ten children in this age bracket, mainly girls, regularly attend. They are an active group, with wide interests from circus skills, making, dance, technology and street art. They enjoy, hands on, active and creative activities.
The outcome or process will include a local celebration in Kilcross for the wider families/community of the participating children to celebrate their creativity on Saturday 6 June 2026, this is the date for Cruinniú na nÓg 2026.
What do I get if I am successful?
€23,000 is the value of the commission. This will cover all fees, materials, and any production costs. This fee also needs to cover the costs of the experience/event taking place as part of Cruinniú na nÓg on Saturday 6 June 2026.
What do we expect from you?
· We expect the selected artist/s to begin work with the children and their youth club in early November 2025.
· To develop new creative experiences made in collaboration with the children and volunteers from the Kilcross Youth Club. (this could include a final performance/showcase, finished artworks, or a workshop presentation)
· To be available for Cruinniú na nÓg on 6 June 2026 to celebrate the commission with the children and volunteers in Kilcross.
How do I apply?
Apply
online, if you have access needs please contact us.
If you have any questions about the call out or need more information, contact us.
The deadline for questions is 5pm, Friday 19 September
The deadline for applications is 2pm, Wednesday 24 September.
Your application can include written documents, video, or audio files.
What do I need to apply?
You will need to include the information listed below.
- C.V. Please outline your arts experience, please include examples of creating art with children. If you intend to work with other artists, we will need their C.V/s.
- An outline proposal to give us a sense of your ideas and starting point for your time with the children from Kilcross Youth Club. We would like to get a sense of what the children and volunteers may expect to experience by working with you. Please mention what medium/artform(s) you plan to work in and any other artists/professionals that will be working with you.
- A budget. Please include a budget that breaks down what fee you will pay yourself for this commission. Please also include fees for other artists/professionals that you may wish to work with. Please list the costs of any resources that you may need (for example materials or equipment hire). We understand that you will not yet know what will be created as part of this commission and that will be hard to cost. However, we need to see that you will have left enough budget for this to happen so please insert an estimated figure for this.
- Examples of previous work. We would like to understand more about your work. You can help us by adding photographs, audio files, written texts or other examples that help us get a sense of your work. Please include examples of work where you have collaborated with children to create art.
- The name and contact details of two referees. Please make sure that one of these people has worked with you on a similar project.
How will we select the artist/s?
We will assess the applications with a panel which will include representatives from Kilcross Youth Club. The decision of this selection panel will be final. The applications will be marked based on the scoring system outlined below.
The minimum qualifying mark is 80. This means that any application which scores under 80 will not be eligible for selection.
If none of the applications we receive reach the minimum 80 marks, we will not choose from this open call. We will then use a different selection process instead.
We will select one application. We may form a panel from the applications if any also score over 80 marks. We may use this panel for further projects if more funding becomes available within a one-year timeline.
This is the scoring system we will use to assess your application:
· The previous experience of the artist/s 40/100
The selection panel will mark by assessing your C.V and examples of previous work.
· Quality 40/100
The selection panel will mark by assessing your statement and budget.
· Evidence of collaborating and creating art with children 20/100
The selection panel will mark by assessing your C.V and examples of previous work.
We will let you know by email if your application is successful or not.
We will not accept applications that are late.
We will not accept applications that do not have everything we have asked for.
Have you any questions?
If you have any questions about the opportunity or application process, please contact us:
About Kilcross Youth Club
Kilcross Youth Club is a warm, welcoming space based in the Kilcross Estate, Sandyford. The youth club offers a safe and supportive environment for young people to connect, explore their creativity, and build confidence. We aim to empower children to become their very best by supporting access to education, encouraging healthy friendships and positive relationships, and creating awareness of online safety, bullying, discrimination, racism, and the environment. At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to inclusion, growth, and making lasting memories.
Run by a small team of dedicated volunteer parents, the youth club plays a vital role in the local community, we rent the space from the Kilcross Resource Centre. The youth club itself caters to young people aged 5 to 13 years old with approximately 25-35 children regularly attending. We are affiliated with Crosscare Youth Services.
The club meets every second Friday evening from 7pm to 8.30pm and holds sports sessions on most Thursday evenings during the summer from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. These times can be adjusted depending on the availability of the artist, volunteers (who all working so evenings suit better) and the Kilcross Resource Centre.
For more information look up Kilcross Youth Club on
facebook and @Kilcrossyc on
instagram.
About Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Children and Young People’s Services Committee
CYPSC (Children and Young People’s Services Committee) are responsible for securing better outcomes for children and young people in their area through more effective integration of existing services and interventions. CYPSC are a key structure identified by Government to plan and co-ordinate services for children and young people in every county in Ireland. Their age remit spans all children and young people aged from 0 to 24 years. The purpose of the CYPSC is to ensure effective interagency co-ordination and collaboration to achieve the best outcomes for all children and young people in their area.
Who can apply?
· Professional artists who have experience creating art with and for children.
· We are open to applications from artists who work together. We understand that artists from different disciplines may wish to work together on this commission.
· We welcome artists who represent the diversity of Irish society. We encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of your gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, or socio-economic background.
Safeguarding
Full Garda Clearance will be required for this residency. It is a legal requirement that everybody working with children, young people and vulnerable people are Garda Vetted.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 2014 applies to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. This Act gives people the right to request information held by public authorities and the right to have personal information held about them corrected or updated where the information is incomplete, incorrect, or misleading.
If you feel that any of the information you submit as part of your application is confidential or sensitive, you should let dlr Arts Office know. You must clearly state why you think the information is confidential or commercially sensitive, and why it should not be released as part of a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Data protection laws mean that your personal data should only be stored where there is a lawful basis, such as your consent, or where there is a legal obligation. Any information you provide for this application will be held for one year from the date you submit it and will only remain in the ownership of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office. We will only use the information you give in your application to administer and manage this opportunity, and selection process (this will include several external panel members who will read/view your application).
You may withdraw your consent to the retention of the information relating to your application at any point by sending an email to
arts@dlrcoco.ie
Insurance
We must make sure that any person or company working with us on a project such as this has insurance cover in place. If you are selected for this residency, you will need to have Public Liability Insurance in place up to a limit of €6.5 million. Public Liability Insurance covers your legal liability to pay damages to members of the public for injury, loss, or damages, which occur because of your activities. The insurance policy must indemnify (cover) Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
If you employ another person to work with you, you will also need Employers Liability Insurance to a limit of €13 million (this will only be needed if the person working with you does not have an insurance policy of their own). These are standard insurance policies and several companies in Ireland provide them for artistic activities.
Green Procurement
Green Procurement is the purchasing of products and services that cause minimal adverse environmental impacts. The selected artist/s will be required (with support from dlr Arts Office) to outline ways in which environmental impact will be reduced through this commission. This could include the materials selected, using active travel, renewable energy etc. and will be determined by the artform and the process proposed.
The pass mark required for this Commission is 80%. If none of the proposals submitted reach the minimum marks required, we may decide to look at a different way to use this funding.