by Evelyn Cullen
AS Donegal County Council’s culture team met last week to review their year gone by, it was clear that variety is at the forefront of their strategy.
“It’s been a busy year and what really stands out is the breadth of events we have on across all our cultural outlets,” said Jeremy Howard, director of the Regional Cultural Centre (RCC).
“From our own punk festival ‘Culture Shocks’ at the RCC, to literary, film and heritage events, there’s a little bit of everything in there,” he added.
The Culture Division team brings together Library, Arts, Museum, RCC, Archive, Heritage, and Biodiversity services, which is what enables them to deliver such a diverse programme.
“Working as a team allows us to share our expertise in a collaborative way. For example, it makes it easier for us at the RCC to engage in heritage projects, and in return we can support the heritage office in bringing in filmmakers and more artistic projects to showcase the heritage,” said Jeremy.
This joined-up approach has resulted in a dynamic and diverse cultural offering for audiences across the county.
“What we’re seeing now – and it’s really encouraging – is that the audiences are not just growing but mixing. People who might traditionally attend museum events are now also coming to the RCC,” he said.
The RCC has particularly noted a significant rise in exhibition audiences since the Covid years.
“The fact that our exhibitions are free is a major draw. It makes them accessible to everyone. We also put a lot of effort into curating the best and most interesting exhibitions we can, and we’re delighted to say that it’s paying off. We’ve seen an increase of up to 500 per cent in visitor numbers over the last five years,” Jeremy added.
Just last Saturday they welcomed over 100 people for the national premiere of a technology exhibition called ‘Prototypes for Cyborgs – A Space Opera’.
“You can actually play this exhibition. It features large, interactive sculptures that light up and make sounds when you press buttons. People are loving it”, he said.
The RCC’s fortnightly Film Club has also built a dedicated and growing audience. Screenings take place every second Thursday at 7:30pm, and members are encouraged to help shape the programme.
Next Thursday, they’re showing ‘Vermiglio’, an Italian film set in a remote mountain village in 1944.
“The reviews for this one are excellent, one not to be missed,” Jeremy said.
Supporting the Film Club is ‘Sound!’, a movie soundtrack festival happening on 8th May. More than 70 performers, including the Donegal Chamber Orchestra and guests, will take to the stage at An Grianán Theatre to perform the greatest screen melodies of all time.
Beyond the RCC, the wider Culture Division also enjoyed a standout year. Highlights included ‘A Common Humanity’, a powerful photographic exhibition exploring the effects of war, communism, and poverty around the world. ‘The Art of Reading’, a travelling book club hosted by Colm Tóibín, brought a crowd to Carndonagh Library in September for a conversation with Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch about his novel ‘Prophet Song’.
The team marked National Biodiversity Week (May 17–26) with nature-themed events celebrating Donegal’s natural heritage, alongside a rich programme of activities highlighting cultural diversity and inclusion. These included a dawn chorus in Ramelton, woodland walks in Drumboe Woods, bat walk and citizen science projects at Fanad Lighthouse and Tory Island.
And of course there was ‘Culture Night’, the flagship event of Donegal’s cultural calendar. Last year saw 29 free events were held in Letterkenny alone, with many more around the county.
“It’s great to have such a dynamic team working together to bring arts and culture to Donegal audiences, where there is a such an appetite for it,” concluded Jeremy.
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