We’re looking forward to kicking off a month-long celebration of creativity in older age in West Cork!
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre is delighted to present an inspiring programme for Bealtaine 2026. Bealtaine is Ireland’s national festival celebrating the arts and creativity as we age. Throughout May, Uillinn will host exhibitions, film screenings and open studio events. Free activities taking place both at the centre and across West Cork. Coordinated nationally by Age & Opportunity, the Bealtaine festival invites older people throughout Ireland to engage creatively and share their artistic voices.
Take a look at our festival programme below!
Bealtaine Exhibition at Uillinn
1 to 31 May, Uillinn Stairwell and Corridor Galleries
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 4:45pm
Free, no booking required
The Bealtaine Exhibition at Uillinn features new work from Arts for an Active Mind. Participants created pieces through small-canvas, music and movement sessions exploring shared creative expression. The exhibition also highlights a wide range of artworks developed through the Arts for Health Partnership Programme over the past year. Projects include Dance Hall Days, Landscapes of the Imagination, Leaves of Gold, Ceramic Village, Stitch by Stitch, Ned the Donkey, Granma’s Apron, and A Little Bit of Magic. We’ll be sharing more about each project throughout the month, keep an eye on our social media!
Bealtaine Artist in Residence
In partnership with Cork County Council, Uillinn presents this year’s Bealtaine Artist in Residence 2026, Julie Merriman. Julie will host open studios every Monday and Tuesday throughout May, with an artist talk on 23 May at 1pm. Her residency will focus on Book Art, exploring how folded structures and mimeograph printing can disrupt conventional arrangements of image and text. Visitors are invited to observe or participate in the process.
The Town That Has Nurtured My Dreams Film Screening
6 May, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre
Free, no booking required
A film screening of The Town that has Nurtured My Dreams take place on 6 May. Created by residents of Skibbereen Community Hospital, the film celebrates the town they love. The screening will also feature live music from composer Justin Grounds.
Dance of the Hawthorn Hedge
29 May, 7pm
Aughadown Churchyard
Uillinn will also host, Dance of the Hawthorn Hedge. This Bealtaine gathering created by artist Toma McCullim with the Salt & Pepper Collective. The event features guest artists Andrew Coombs, Liz Clark with Grá Choir, and Ballads of Belonging. This participatory LGBTQ+ performance‑walk responds to a cut hawthorn hedgerow, inviting dancers and audience‑participants to move together along the Goleen Marsh Road to the Aughadown churchyard. Rooted in queer memory, the work asks how healing and memorial‑making can be created together in the long aftermath of the criminal period.
Bealtaine at Uillinn reflects the relationships we have built with artists, older people and our health and education partners across West Cork. The work shared is the result of time, trust and creative conversation. At Uillinn, we believe creativity should be accessible to everyone, and Bealtaine is a powerful reminder of what happens when people are given the space, support and encouragement to make art. The projects in this year’s exhibition highlights the imagination and skill of older artists in our community.
For further information, please contact: Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre at info@westcorkartscentre.com or +353 (0)28 22090
Image by Catherine Weld.