Anam Beo Marks 20 Years of Arts, Health, and Community in Offaly

This year, Anam Beo, Offaly’s pioneering Arts and Health Collective, celebrates a remarkable milestone: two decades of creativity, connection, and community impact.

Since its founding in 2005, Anam Beo has brought artists into care and community settings, ensuring that music, storytelling, and visual arts remain part of daily life for older people and communities across the county.

Two decades of creativity, connection, and care across Offaly with time specific projects and limited resources - 15,394 audience and 2893 participants and 2171 creative sessions across Offaly.

For the artists, participants, and partners who have been part of this journey, the anniversary is more than a number, it’s a reflection of lives touched and memories made. Over the years, Anam Beo has worked with countless individuals, some of whom are sadly no longer with us. Yet their songs, paintings, and stories live on.

In many ways, their legacy mirrors the growth of Offaly’s artistic landscape: a county where visual arts, theatre, music, dance, and storytelling have blossomed.

From small local projects to major festivals, Offaly’s arts scene has become a space where talent can be seen, voices heard, and celebrated. The 20^th anniversary has been marked throughout 2025 with a series of special events. Highlights included activities and an exhibition during Birr Vintage Week, and a major Retrospective Exhibition at Esker Arts, Tullamore.  In addition there will be an Arts & Health Gathering on October 17, where artists, health professionals, national organisations and community members will come together to reflect on the power of creativity and participation.

The retrospective exhibition at Esker Arts, promises to be a particularly moving celebration,showcasing artworks, films, and archives gathered over the years.

Curated by Rowena Keaveny and Julie Spollen, the exhibition will feature contributions from artists, participants, and care centres across Offaly, shining a light on the lasting impact of creative engagement.

Speaking ahead of the events, the Anam Beo artists shared a reflection, ''The magic doesn’t happen overnight. It grows slowly, profoundly, with time, trust, and community.'' The anniversary will also highlight exciting recent collaborations, including 'Did I Ever Tell You?,' a Creative Ireland storytelling project across Offaly, Kildare, and Laois.

Blending music, art, and personal memories, the project has encouraged dialogue across generations with plenty of fun along the way.

From music therapy sessions in Clara Day Care Centre, to community art projects in Birr, Riada, and Ofalia Nursing Units, IWA, Ballycumber and more,

Anam Beo’s work has touched thousands of lives. The collective has thrived thanks to the support of Offaly County Council, Creative Ireland, the Arts Council Ireland, the HSE, and the Offaly Public Participation Network. Together, they have supported arts and health, while ensuring artists are valued and programmes supported so this important work may continue.

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For details visit anambeoartscollective.com or Esker Arts.

Twenty years on, Anam Beo remains a beacon of creativity and community spirit, proving that art doesn’t just brighten

lives, it strengthens and sustains the very fabric of our communities. We look forward to celebrating with you.