Margaret Moggan and Helen Gillard of Tuam Tidy Town and Tuam Historical Society. Photo credit Jennifer Cunningham.
Creative Places Tuam has secured Arts Council funding for 2026 and 2027, paving the way for a new phase of the community‑led arts programme under local leadership.
The initiative, which supports artists, funds community projects and promotes cultural activity in Tuam and surrounding areas, will become fully locally based from 2027. Governance will transfer from Create, the national agency for collaborative arts, to Galway County Council’s Arts Office. The move follows five years of development under Create, which has managed the programme since 2020.
Since its establishment, Creative Places Tuam has delivered artist residencies, community commissions, creative exchanges, development days, public events, publications, short films and original music projects, strengthening links between Tuam’s creative community and the wider arts sector.
Galway County Council Chief Executive Liam Conneally welcomed the continued investment by the Arts Council in Creative Places Tuam. “This programme shows the strength of partnership between national and local government in supporting artists and communities. The shift to locally led governance is an important milestone and reflects our commitment to placing arts and culture at the heart of community development across the county”.
Director of Services for Tuam Municipal District Michael Owens said the programme had helped to build confidence and creative engagement in the town. “Over the past five years, Creative Places has helped to reconnect the town with its creative potential and build confidence locally. We now have a real opportunity to support regeneration by placing arts and culture at the centre of civic life. It will continue to strengthen partnerships, activate spaces and create new opportunities for people to engage with creativity in their own town”. The programme for 2026 and 2027 has been shaped by consultation with Tuam’s creative community and feedback gathered through an artist survey in 2025.
New initiatives will include monthly one‑to‑one mentoring sessions known as Soundboard 121, the Graft Series for networking and knowledge exchange, and Loop Sessions, informal creative meet‑ups. The programme will also include screenings, an Open Call, Art cArt outings, Sounding Tuam, three artist residencies and the Cultural Growth Fund, which organisers say has seen a 40% increase in applications since its launch.
Galway County Arts Officer Sharon O’Grady said the programme would continue to support both artists and communities. “This next phase of the locally led Creative Places Tuam will support artists to develop their practice while enabling communities to shape and participate in their cultural life. It aligns with the ambitions in Galway County Council’s Arts Plan 2026–2030 and with regeneration plans for Tuam, with arts and culture contributing to the town’s social and civic life. With the support of the local community, we were empowered to take the lead on this next stage of the programme.”
Creative Places Tuam Coordinator Fiona Hession described the announcement as an important milestone. “As both an artist and resident of Tuam, I am incredibly excited by this announcement. It feels like a real milestone for the National Creative Places Programme, and especially for Creative Places Tuam, a programme now rooted in Tuam, shaped by local voices and driven by the community. I look forward to seeing it grow and create meaningful creative opportunities here in Tuam”.
Residents, artists, community groups and organisations are invited to take part in the next phase of the programme. Further information is available at www.creativeplacestuam.ie or by emailing info@creativeplacestuam.ie.
