Autistic musicians invited to apply for residency at Cork county arts centre 

Applications are now open for a residency opportunity from Music Network and Ionad Cultúrtha in Baile Mhúirne for musicians who are autistic.

Through this opportunity, Music Network and Ionad Cultúrtha are seeking to make space for social change in the music sector in general.

Both organisations are hoping to also learn from the musician-in-residence in terms of how they can better facilitate and include autistic people in their own programmes, along with in the wider sector both in performance and educational environments.

The selected musician will receive a bursary of €8,000 and will have access to a dedicated space in October and November this year to develop their creative practice and create new work and/or artistic collaborations.

The chosen musician also will engage with the wider community, working alongside an experienced facilitator to deliver a programme of inclusive music activities and showcase their work live in concert at the conclusion of the residency.

Music Network CEO Sharon Rollston said: “We are delighted to partner with Ionad Cultúrtha to offer this residency, only the second of its kind, which we see as a valuable opportunity not only to support an autistic musician but also to learn from them as they spend time at the venue as musician-in-residence.”

Ionad Cultúrtha artistic director Liadh Ní Riada added: “We are looking forward to empowering artists who have unique challenges in developing their work.

“The Ionad Cultúrtha is delighted to afford artists the opportunity to create in our space and we hope that this is the start of recognising the need for more equality and inclusivity in the arts.”

Last year’s awardee, Patrick Stefan, will visit Baile Mhúirne on August 22 during National Heritage Week to perform a special concert featuring the world premiere of a new Irish-language commission he has written at Ionad Cultúrtha.

There will also be an online information meeting for people interested in applying for the residency on Thursday August 14 at 11am.

Applications for the 2025 residency are now open and the deadline for applying is Monday, September 1, at 2pm.

The online application form, along with guidelines and details on registration for the online information session are available now at www.MusicNetwork.ie or by contacting programmesadmin @musicnetwork.ie.