Culture Night 2011 Spreads to A Record 30 Regions!

Culture Night 2011, the renowned late night of free culture which was created in Temple Bar, Dublin’s Cultural Quarter in 2006, takes place in a record 30 regions across the island of Ireland on Friday 23^rd September 2011, offering the public a wide range of cultural attractions and the opportunity to visit iconic cultural venues, buildings and spaces for free.

The programme, which was launched today (Wednesday 17^th August 2011) by organisers Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, at Dublin Castle, is the largest to date featuring new regions South Tipperary, Cloughjordan, Belfast, Cavan, Clare, Derry-Londonderry, Drogheda, Navan, Offaly and Strabane District. TBCT lead Culture Night with a unified approach, bringing together the participating regions who develop their programmes locally and carry the national Culture Night logo in their own county colours.

From live performances, workshops and gallery tours to talks, drama, dance and a whole range of other creative activities, Culture Night offers a cultural form to appeal to all tastes. Arab Jazz Night at the Chester Beatty Library, a Food and Craft Market at Cork’s County Hall, life drawing classes at the Bourn Vincent Gallery, Limerick, a special night of dance at The Grain Store, Ballymaloe, an evening of music at Scoil Ácla Bunnacurry on Achill and free tours of Windmill Lane Recording Studios, are just some of the events on the vast programme where culture will be illuminated on Friday 23^rd September.

Commenting on this year’s programme for Culture Night Minister Deenihan said, “Culture Night is regarded as one of the highlights of Ireland’s cultural events calendar. Providing as it does a wonderful opportunity to experience the creative culture that is on our door step and also freely available on this very special night. The phenomenal success of Culture Night is perhaps best measured by the fact that it has grown from a Dublin based cultural event in 2006 to the significant national event it is now with 30 regions.  This year attendance is expected to increase with the additional new attraction of Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Dublin being open to the public, as they are synonymous with U2 and Sinead O’Connor.”

Funding has been provided by the Department to the event since its inception in 2006 and this year the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will provide funding of €200,000 towards the all Ireland event.  Minister Deenihan also acknowledged the work of all the volunteers and staff who work tirelessly to ensure that Culture night continues to be success it has now become.

Commenting at the launch of the Culture Night 2011 programme, Dermot McLaughlin, CEO, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, said, “It’s our sixth year organising Culture Night and we are thrilled a record 30 regions are participating in this stunning evening of culture. Many cultural organisations have experienced a jolt this year but the Culture Night programme is clear evidence that people and communities can adapt with resilience, imagination and ambition.

Culture Night is a unique experience packed with fun and atmosphere where you have an opportunity to sample forms of culture you may not normally make time for.  It’s also a reminder of what we have all around us, often on our doorsteps, every day and night of the year.  Almost any cultural venue you can think of is open for free on Culture Night; it’s a fantastic opportunity to introduce young people to the world of culture because every diverse form is showcased in the best possible light.

He continued, “We initiated Culture Night with 40 venues right here in Temple Bar back in 2006.  This year there are more venues than ever participating with a record 156 venues in Dublin alone.  In 2009, we had 11 regions participating; this grew to 20 regions in 2010 and 2011 highlights the continued growth so there is no better example than Culture Night to illustrate bringing culture closer to people.  Not only is Culture Night positively influencing communities and society and making culture accessible, but the initiative makes a huge economic contribution driving cultural tourism across the participating regions on this island. It’s a powerful statement of the benefits of cooperation and working together to make scarce resources work harder for everyone’s benefit.”

Packed with a range of culture forms and including hundreds of cultural venues from small independent galleries to parks, historic houses, national museums, traditional Irish arts groups, community centres, theatres, government buildings and local sports organisations, the programme is testament to the enormous diversity of Irish venues and organisations that boast a rich cultural offering for their communities and regions across Ireland.

Continuing its bid to attract new audiences to Irish arts and culture on Culture Night, Temple Bar Cultural Trust is working with Rise Creatives who have programmed the first Augmented Reality (AR) exhibitions in Ireland where two special commissions Off the Page and Among Giants will showcase some of Ireland’s finest home-grown talent; the exhibition is free to download on a smart phone. Earlier this year, Temple Bar Cultural Trust launched a world first with the DublinCultureTrail.ie, a free and interactive web-based virtual trail of the city’s finest cultural attractions.

Amongst the highlights of this year’s Dublin programme is soul nourishing music and talks at Oxfambooks on Parliament Street, a tour of Darc Space, a dedicated gallery promoting energy efficient architecture, mini-talks on philosophy, the art of happiness and culture at the New Acropolis Ireland, and free guided tours of Kilmainham Gaol.

Temple Bar Cultural Trust is also working with the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht on collaborating with a range of arts organisations, community and multicultural groups for Culture Night this year.  A range of special events will take place across indoor and outdoor venues on the night ensuring Culture Night is open to as diverse an audience range as possible, making it an inclusive cultural experience for all citizens.

Culture Night is an initiative co-ordinated by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with the regional arts offices and local authorities throughout the island of Ireland.

The complete Culture Night 2011 programme is available online from 12noon on August 17th at www.culturenight.ie.

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