Creative Connections
Creative Connections is a cross border creative partnership programme that brings professional creative practitioners into schools to work alongside teachers and children and young people, embedding creativity and the arts into everyday teaching and learning.
Programme Overview
Creative Connections combines curriculum‑aligned creative residencies, professional learning and structured cross‑border collaboration, supporting creativity as part of daily classroom practice. Funded through the Shared Island Initiative, Creative Connections is jointly supported by the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) and the Department of Education and Youth (Republic of Ireland). The programme is managed by National Arts in Education (NAE), based at Tralee Education Support Centre, County Kerry.
Building on the success of the pilot phases, the programme is now entering its next phase, expanding opportunities for schools and creative practitioners across both countries in the 2026/27 academic year.
The launch of the next phase of Creative Connections was announced on 22 April 2026.
Expression of Interest Process 2026/27
Expressions of Interest to participate in Creative Connections in 2026/27 are invited from (i) schools and (ii) creative practitioners / artists in Northern Ireland through an online form hosted by National Arts in Education, Tralee Education Support Centre. The closing date for this is Wednesday 6th May 2026.
- Guidelines and the link to the Expression of Interest Online Form for schools are available here (available in Irish and English)
- Guidelines and the Expression of Interest Online Form for creative practitioners / artists are available here (available in Irish and English)
National Arts in Education aims to notify all schools and creative practitioners on the status of their Expression of Interest in the week commencing 18 May 2026.