YOUR LANGUAGE. YOUR VOICE. YOUR MOVEMENT.
Community Participants Invited to Join New Kinsale Arts Weekend Performance
Creative Producer/Director Yvonne Coughlan is inviting people from all cultures, languages, and backgrounds to take part in two free creative workshops that will form part of An tAthrú (The Changeover), a major new promenade dance performance premiering during Kinsale Arts Weekend 2026.
Taking place on Wednesday 1st July and Wednesday 8th July, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at Temperance Hall, Kinsale, the workshops are open to anyone interested in movement, singing, storytelling, spoken word, or simply being part of a unique community arts experience.
No previous dance or performance experience is required for these FREE PUBLIC workshops.
Ireland has always been shaped by journeys and new arrivals. Today, more than 180 languages are spoken across the island, each carrying stories, traditions, songs, and ways of seeing the world. These workshops celebrate that richness, creating a space where people can share elements of their own culture through movement, words, and voice, becoming part of a living artwork that explores change, belonging, and connection.
Created by RSVP (Red Sandstone Varied Productions), An tAthrú draws inspiration from the ancient Irish Immrama, legendary voyages of transformation. The performance will guide audiences through the streets of Kinsale on a journey of music, dance, rhythm, and encounter, culminating in a shared celebration where professional artists and community participants come together.
"We are looking for people who bring different experiences, languages, cultures and perspectives," says Yvonne Coughlan. "Whether you have lived in Ireland all your life, arrived recently, sing in your own language, have stories to tell, or simply want to meet new people and be part of something creative, you are welcome."
Participants will work alongside a professional creative team including dancers and musicians, on the performance day, contributing to a street dance that explores how communities are continually shaped by exchange, transformation, and shared experience. The performance features a professional ensemble of dancers including Paul McCabe (also Choreographer), Emma Cronin, Aoife Newe, Leah Davis, Abby O’Neill, Gaia Lopopolo, and Emma Murphy, working alongside live musicians Liam O’Keeffe (accordion), Aisling Sage (fiddle), and percussionists Levi Magyar and Jerome Bourlet, whose rhythmic score and live sound world guide and energise the journey through Kinsale.
The workshops will focus on simple movement, rhythm, voice, and participation. The emphasis is on inclusion, creativity, and connection rather than technical performance skills. However the promenade street performance will remain open to participation or viewing on the day also.
Workshop Details: Wednesday 1st July 2026 & Wednesday 8th July 2026, 6.30pm – 7.30pm at Temperance Hall, Kinsale. Free to attend
Open to adults and young people from all cultural and language backgrounds.
Performance
Participants will have the opportunity to take part in An tAthrú (The Changeover), a 50-minute promenade performance presented as part of Kinsale Arts Weekend starting Sunday 12th July at 2pm outside Church Square/Cosy Cafe.
Please contact rsvpireland@gmail.com or turn simply up on the day.
Every culture carries its own rhythms, songs, stories and ways of moving. An tAthrú is about bringing those voices together and celebrating the richness they bring to our shared community.
