Carlow Creative Rising - Things are happening in Carlow

Carlow was the capital of Ireland once upon a time. You wouldn’t hear much about that nowadays. You’d be more likely to hear about the fact that Carlow had a thriving sugar factory but that too has passed.

It’s a town surrounded by rich agricultural land, a glacial hill and a Dolmen. It’s the home of Teagasc, two significant third level colleges, a state of the art gallery and theatre and an entrepreneurial community with international players in the mix.

In 2014, I moved back to Carlow from the city, all set to inspire self-care and the pursuit of authenticity. But Carlow wasn't ready for all that. In general the mood was low.

Four years on, things have changed and I know I played my part. It's possible too, that I entered the scene when Carlow was on the rise.

#MakingitHappen

My arrival in Carlow co-incided with the launch of a new Local Enterprise Office, through which I availed of networking opportunities and learning supports for my business. Their #makingithappen hashtag certainly applied to my initiatives in the next few years.

Creative initiatives were springing up. I dived right in. Within a year, a portrait drawing of mine was being displayed on the outside of the Post Office building alongside the work of local artists.

By establishing a close relationship with Carlow Library, I exhibited my art in their beautiful Shaw Room many times and launched two books.

By 2017. I had RTE inviting me to showcase my work and my journey on their Nationwide TV programme.

Cursed Murphy & The Resistance

Things certainly happened when author Peter Murphy came to town to take up a writer’s in residence position. I signed up to avail of Peter's expertise and wisdom with the aim of being a better writer.

Peter put me through my paces. I absorbed every bit of his critique with the view to handing in a better piece next time. Within, two months I was a different writer, still with a lot to learn but a good deal better than at the start of our work together.

Never did I expect to be on stage in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre reading a chapter of my work in front of a live audience. That was exciting.

Nine of us had taken part in Peter’s workshops. We were proud to share the stage with our rebellious-spirited tutor as he performed his spoken word show to the title of Cursed Murphy and The Resistance.