Fingal County Council Arts Office announce two distinct opportunities for artists, the National Mentoring Programme 2025 and the Limerick Gathering Bursary 2025
Fingal County Council Arts Office announce the opining of submissions for two distinct opportunities for artist. The return of the National Mentoring Programme for 2025 in collaboration with the Irish Writers Centre, and the Limerick Gathering Bursary 2025 in partnership with the Performing Arts Forum.
The National Mentoring Programme 2025:
The National Mentoring Programme will provide the selected writers with an opportunity to receive sustained creative and professional mentoring from an established Irish writer of their choosing. Fingal County Council Arts Office will have four places available for writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s/young adult fiction and poetry. To be eligible to apply you must be from, resided or have studied in Fingal.
On the announcement of the return of this award, County Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neill said “the return of the National Mentorship Programme 2025 with the Irish Writers Centre provided an opportunity for writers to develop and fine-tune their practice. This award aligns with our strategic goals for the Fingal Arts Plan 2019-2025, to connect people and ideas and enable excellence. We have no doubt this programme will benefit the recipients greatly in their work, as it has in previous years”.
The chosen recipients will receive three mentorship meetings with an experienced writer over a period of approximately 6-8 months. The mentor reads up to 10,000 words / 180 lines of poetry in advance and will give creative feedback at each meeting. They may also provide professional information and advice. All mentees will avail of the programme for free.
Submissions for the National Mentoring Programme 2025 open on Saturday 1st February 2025 and closes on Saturday 1st March 2025.
Limerick Gathering Bursary:
Hundreds of artists, arts workers from arts centres and production companies, festivals and funders will come together in Limerick from 27th – 29th May for two days of conversation, provocation, and inspiration. Sessions will take place in the Lime Tree Theatre with an artistic programme on the first evening of the event.
Council Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neill said, “We are proud to be working with the Performing Arts Forum to support professional Fingal artists to attend and contribute to the Limerick Gathering. This opportunity will enable artist to connect, network and explore ideas in their medium.”
Fingal County Council Arts Office is offering four bursaries for professional artists based in the Fingal area. Each awarded artist will receive a ticket to the Performing Arts Forum Limerick Gathering which includes all day sessions, lunch, dinner, coffee breaks and the artistic programme. The recipients will also receive an artist honorarium of €150 as well as accommodation and travel contribution of €150.
To be eligible applicants must be in the Fingal administrative area, and in the honour of fairness and transparency this opportunity is for first time applicants. It is imperative to note that the Limerick gathering bursaries will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Applications for the Limerick Gathering Bursary open on Tuesday 4th February and closes Friday 28th March or when allocated as it’s a first-come, first serve basis.
For further information on either of these programmes and bursaries, please see:
www.fingalarts.ie www.fingal.ie/arts www.performingartsforum.ie www.irishwriterscentre.ie
