Children and Families

Gavin Buckley interviewed the children and artists who take part in Art Club. Listen to his Art Club Podcast above.

There are many opportunities at Uillinn for children and families to access and engage with a range of arts activities and artists in visual art, dance, music, literature and theatre. Our programmes for children provide space for curiosity and experimentation, and support individual thinking and investigation. Artists who deliver these programme place emphasis on the creative process, value artistic expression and celebrate difference.

We run many events throughout the year, including arts clubs, workshops with our Artists in Residence, events for Cruinniú na nÓg, and children’s theatre and dance workshops and performances.

ART CLUB – 6 to 9 years
with Siobhán McGibbon & Mark Beatty
Thursdays 3.30 to 4.30
Thursdays 17 September to 10 December (except 29 October) 2026
Fee: €120 for 12 sessions
Pre-booking and payment in advance essential

ART CLUB 9 to 12 years
with Siobhán McGibbon & Mark Beatty
Thursdays 4.45 to 6.00
Thursdays 17 September to 10 December (except 29 October) 2026
Fee: €120 for 12 sessions
Pre-booking and payment in advance essential.

Art Club is a series of adventurous and experimental workshops for children with an interest in exploring visual art. Children are encouraged to experiment, build their skill base and use their imaginations. Each block focuses on a theme to explore and investigate various aspects of visual art.

The workshops are facilitated by professional practicing artists who have expertise in working with children.

About the facilitator
Siobhán McGibbon is an Irish visual artist interested in multi-disciplinary practice, particularly the intersections between art and medical science. She works conceptually with sculpture, installation, drawing, animation and biomaterials, merging sculpture, animation, drawing and participatory installations. Siobhán originally trained in sculpture in the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology where she completed her degree, receiving a first class honours and Sculpture Student of the Year.

ALAN FOLEY ACADEMY OF DANCE (AFAD) promotes dance as a vibrant and enjoyable art form through classes, workshops and performances in ballet, jazz and modern dance for 3 to 18 year olds.

AFAD is part of Cork City Ballet (CCB) which engages dancers from international companies as well as Ireland’s finest classical and contemporary dancers to perform to audiences all over Ireland. The Company has worked in partnership with Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre for over 30 years, developing programmes for children which offer continuous academic development and engagement with professional dancers. Annual performances in May, featuring professional dancers in Cork are an integral part of the programme. Read more here.

TERM 1 – 5 September 2026 to 9 January 2027 (excluding 31 October, 19 & 26 December 2026 and 2 January 2027) – 15 Sessions

TERM 2 – 16 January 2027 to 2 May 2027 (excluding 20 February, 27 March & 3 April) (rehearsal 1 May and performance 2 May) – 15 Sessions

Pre-primary (4-5) – 10:30 to 11:00. €150
Primary Ballet/Modern (5-8) – 11:00 to 11:45. €200
Junior Ballet/Modern (8-12) – 11:45 to 12:45. €230
Senior Ballet (12 upwards) – 1:15 to 2:30. €260
Senior Jazz (12 upwards) – 2:30 to 3:30. €230
Senior Ballet & Jazz €380

ÉINÍNÍ EARLY YEARS MUSIC
Baby Boppers and Musical Movers.
Booking here

6 weeks of musical adventures, developing a sense of beat and pitch awareness through songs, games and musical stories. Lots of instruments, percussion, puppets and play. We always finish the session with sensory lights and bubbles, while we listen to some beautiful music.
Resources, song sheets and playlists are included to support your music making at home.
This term does not run consecutively due breaks for bank holidays and midterm.
Éiníní Music is run by Antje Guest, RIAM dip. community and group music teaching and accredited Kodály early years music educator.

PLAY AND MOVEMENT with Danae Wollen
Booking on Eventbrite here
Friday 24 July, 10.30 am to 12 noon
€10/7 per child, aged 1 to 4 years, with their adult

Come in comfortable clothes to explore and move with your toddler. We’ll be sliding, bopping, bouncing and crawling, touching in elements of animal flow, acro yoga and contact improvisation with you and your little one.