A new era for Birr’s festivals as Town Hall meeting planned for later this month

DO you want to know more about Birr’s five festivals? Perhaps you’d like to become a Birr Festivals volunteer?

Birr Festivals Collective is hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday April 27th in Dooly’s Hotel at 9pm.

On the night, the Collective will launch its plans for the festival season in 2022 and introduce the Birr Festivals Collective project and Colm Croffy, the Festivals Project Co-ordinator.

Birr’s five festivals (Birr Festival of Music, Scripts Ireland’s Playwriting Festival, Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival, OFFline Film Festival and Hullabaloo! Offaly’s Children’s Arts Festival) came together under the umbrella of Birr 20/20 Vision prior to the COVID-19 lockdown to commission the Report "Seeing the Beyond, - Birr Festivals Planning for A Shared Future”.

It was launched in October 2020 and proposed the establishment of the Birr Festivals Collective. In the summer of 2021, resources were provided by the Arts Council of Ireland to fund a Projects Co-ordinator as part of the pilot project.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Croffy said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for all those who have a strong interest in the development of a vibrant cultural events scene in Birr and its hinterland. It’s vitally important that every organisation in the town is represented and any interested members of the public join us on the night.”

“Many of the festival teams wish to reconnect with those who have volunteered previously with any of the festivals, volunteers from other organisations and with new people who may have moved back to Birr or arrived for the first time. Anyone who might have some ideas or would like to get involved in the running of and volunteering with the festivals is invited to come along.

To attend, please register via email to birrfestivalscollective@gmail.com by Monday April 25th at 5pm.