Carrigaline festival is in aid of new arts centre for Cork town

The inaugural Carrigaline Summer Festival is set to take place this week, with the aim of fundraising for a highly sought after community arts centre.

The four-day event, taking place from June 19 to 22, will feature a range of music-focused activities including a music marathon, a songwriting workshop for teens, a talk on neurologic music therapy for acquired brain injuries, a performance from The Frank and Walters, and much more.

The aim of the festival is to raise up to €20,000, which is needed to facilitate a feasibility study for the construction of a community arts centre in the heart of Carrigaline.

Donation boxes will be present at each event across the four days, where cash or card will be accepted to donate towards the fund.

Speaking to The Echo, Dr Liz Scott Hall, who is the secretary and co-founder of the Arts Centre Committee, said that the festival is vital for raising funds for the project.

“In the not-too-distant future, we want to see Carrigaline have its own iconic, architecturally-designed arts centre,” said Dr Scott.

“Our vision is of a multi-purpose, energy-efficient building with a theatre and digital cinema, with mobile tiered seating, providing space to function as a large hall to accommodate a wide range of entertainments and events.

“We have so much talent here in Carrigaline and we have the audience for it too.

“The aim of the festival is to give people a good time based around the arts, to show people just how much talent there is in the town and to celebrate it.

“We’re obviously trying to raise money [for the centre] too, so we will also have a big raffle; and people can make donations [on the day],” she added.

“There’s nothing actually in black and white yet, but we need to work towards a feasibility study – so we need a full bank account for that.

“The study will be the first step towards getting our arts centre.

“We need to show that the arts is alive and vibrant in Carrigaline, to show potential funders that there is a lively arts scene here.” 

The Arts Centre Committee is chaired by Barry Cogan, and includes members of the Carrigaline Lions Club, the Municipal District Council, and Fianna Fáil Cork South Central TD Seamus McGrath.

While most events taking place across the four days are free, there are some ticketed activities which require prior booking.

For further information on the upcoming events, search ‘Carrigaline Summer Festival’ on Eventbrite.