*Siobhán Mulcahy.
IN 1986, County Clare broke ground by becoming the first county in Ireland to employ a county arts officer.
First established to support the development of fine art, the Clare Arts Office has drastically evolved over the ensuing 37 years. The Arts Office continues to facilitate artists across a wide spectrum of expertise today while also supporting the creativity of people in the community from children to the elderly, and by extension, the community’s health and wellbeing.
The impact of The Clare Arts Office on our county is challenging to convey. The office runs the Riches of Clare series, is in charge of programming at Culturlann Sweeney in Kilkee, is heavily involved in Culture nights in September, and it regularly commissions public realm projects across the county. But perhaps, more importantly, it brings artists and people together to spark creativity amongst the people of Clare and thereby developing the potential in youngsters, or serving as a therapeutic outlet for others facing challenges in their lives.
Clare was the first county in Ireland to have a county arts officer in 1986 when Kay Sheehy – now a producer on RTÉ Radio – undertook the role. Current Clare Arts Officer Siobhán Mulcahy notes that the role has changed “immeasurably” since then. “In 2003 there was a new art act which broadened the definition of the arts considerably, so things like circus and spectacle now fall under the arts, things like technology, film, all things that wouldn’t have been thought of as artistic content back in the ‘80s. That has broadened significantly and over the years we’ve worked across all those artforms, like contemporary dance theatre, so it’s been wonderful to see how it’s broadened out to support artists.”
Siobhán took over the role coinciding with the opening of glór theatre which “changed the landscape completely” for artists in Clare. “Around that time, we also looked at supporting artists in terms of developing workspaces for them, we developed studios in the Tulla stables and we have studios in Ennis too. So, the role has developed from just commissioning to create artwork, to supporting artists in the creating of them not just through funding but also providing professional development supports”.
Siobhán tells The Clare Echo that projects such as the Arts & Disability programme, Artists in Schools, Youth Theatre, and the Music and Healthcare projects are having a profound impact on the people of Clare.
“We would be very conscious of the wellbeing impact that creativity has for individuals, whether it’s individuals with additional needs or health needs, and we would devise specific projects to address those needs and to encourage those people to engage in creative activity,” explains Siobhán.
“Certainly in recent times, and unfortunately it may have taken a pandemic to realise it, but the benefits of social interaction that comes from participating in the arts – and also the inherent creativity that lies within us all – is absolutely huge and I think that sometimes people don’t appreciate how important it is for general wellbeing, for mental health, for physical activity as well.
“It actually touches all our lives in ways that may not be very obvious until it’s taken away from us, and often that’s when the importance of it is apparent. It really is something as simple as seeing people enjoy themselves at a variety of festivals that may be happening around the county or some of the artwork that’s going up around the county, how people engage with them, and how it might visually stimulate them in terms of storytelling or in terms of memories.”
Youth Theatre, which has been running in Clare for almost 20 years, is an excellent example of the Arts Office’s impact on our communities. Children from the age of nine upwards meet twice a week in glór and Siobhán explains. “What’s really lovely about that project is the young people who come, while some of them are interested in acting and developing theatre skills, we also work with them to look at script writing, devising, producing, stage lighting, sound, music. It’s a really holistic approach to all that goes into producing theatre and it’s lovely to see the children rise to that as well. Anyone from age of nine interested in not only theatre, but creativity and expressing themselves are welcome to come along.”
The Clare Arts Officer stresses that music isn’t just for young people and in conjunction with Creative Ireland and their colleagues in Tipperary and Limerick, the Arts Offices delivers a “gorgeous” music and healthcare project to people in residential care centres.
She adds that Creative Ireland has supported a number of wellbeing projects such as Mindfulness and Crafting with the Irish Weavers in Ennistymon; and a wellbeing workshop for women in Kilkee which included yoga and meditation.
“The individual impact of arts on wellbeing can be quite transformative for people and having been in the role so long, I’ve heard those stories come back not just from the initial impact something might have on someone, but someone saying to you 10 or 15 years later ‘when I was a young person I did this’, or ‘my daughter attended youth theatre and the difference it made at that time in her life’ so it’s obviously very heart-warming to hear that but it also shows that, it can be tough for people to find a place in this world and the arts can be a way of assisting people to do that and find their way.”
To learn more about the work of the Clare Arts Office or to get involved in a programme, visit www.clarearts.ie.
