Partnered with UCD’s Centre for Irish Towns as part of their rish Towns Talking Towns Series, (December 2025), CPOI is exploring ways that everyday creativity happens in our towns. As explained by the Centre, in Ireland, Irish towns are home to a third of the population. They face significant challenges—including vacancy, underinvestment, and fragmented data and governance—which undermine social cohesion and long-term resilience. However, they also present a major opportunity: towns are well-positioned to support population growth, enable sustainable and low-carbon communities, and drive post-pandemic transition. Growing policy initiatives and consensus highlight the need for coordinated research, collaboration, and evidence-based action to revitalise town centres.

Chaired by Victoria Durrer (UCD), presentations and discussion draw from case studies and experiences within Creative Lives across the UK and Ireland. Established in 1991, Creative Lives champions community and volunteer-led creative activity, and works to improve opportunities for everyone to be creative. They work across Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Participation involves, Jemma Neville, a Policy Director of Creative Lives, based in Scotland, who also writes creatively about the intersections of people in place; Jess Plant who leads on Creative Lives’ Place work and partnerships with BBC local radio; Dan Brown, Head of Creative Development for OnFife, a Cultural Trust in Fife, Scotland. His background spans arts, digital media, and community engagement; and Angi Ward who runs the Monday Music group in Edenderry as part of Creative Places Edenderry, Ireland (funded by Arts Council Ireland). Monday Music and Acoustic Hearts, were the national Runners Up for Ireland at the Creative Lives Awards last year. Angi was also a recipient of Seed Funding from Creative Places, Edenderry for writing her ‘Mother Bog’ original script musical play.