Connecting Creatively - Courtown and Riverchapel

Creative Ireland Wexford Culture Team Projects 2026

Gorey/Kilmuckridge Municipal District

Connecting Creatively - Courtown and Riverchapel

Budget/Fee: €8,000 with €2,000 for travel and materials

Timeline: February - October 2026

Courtown is situated around 6 km south-east of Gorey on the coast of the Irish Sea. With the recent development during the Celtic Tiger years it has merged into the adjoining village of Riverchapel. Both Courtown and Riverchapel have many caravan parks and holiday homes and are seen as a holiday destinations. In the late 20th and early 21st century, significant urbanisation has taken place, especially in Riverchapel, with major expansions being done to local shops and the additions of new amenities such as a pharmacy and community sports complex for association football and GAA.

In 2025 Courtown and Riverchapel developed a Town Centre First plan, setting out a comprehensive and community driven vision to guide the long term regeneration of the villages. Amongst regenerative projects in the plan such as a multipurpose facility for health, youth, education and community, and a coastal nourishment project, a green/blue corridor is planned to connect the centres of Courtown and Riverchapel, and will feature a two-way cycle track, upgraded footpath, crossings, and biodiversity enhancements.

The Town Centre First plan acknowledges that while there is an effective connection as a twin settlement between Courtown and Riverchapel, further efforts are needed to incrementally and naturally consolidate the two town centres to ensure that they thrive as a vibrant, inclusive, and climate resilient coastal town. In addition to the physical enhancements planned for the connection between the two centres, an effort is needed to develop and connect historic mindsets about the geographical separation between the two communities.

Artist Call Out

The Creative Ireland Programme at Wexford County Council and the Gorey/Kilmuckridge Municipal District in collaboration with the Courtown/Riverchapel Town First Team, invite proposals from socially engaged artists and creatives to address this mindset of separation between the Courtown and Riverchapel communities. Running from February-October 2026, the community art project will build on already established links between the two villages, working with a range of local community groups including the Town First Team. The project will support the consolidation of the town centres, helping the communities to find ways to meaningfully connect through creative activity. Taking a community-focused approach, the project will celebrate relationships and togetherness, and reimagine the identities of the once separated villages as one.

The project will:

• Deliver a process of creative engagement with multiple components such as workshops and events that responds to the communities of Courtown and Riverchapel, and how the mindsets in each village can be developed to promote connectivity and togetherness;
• Respond to the Town Centre First plan and its vision to develop the connection between Courtown and Riverchapel, promoting community character and values;
• With the community, create a temporary, semipermanent or permanent artistic product relating to connectivity between Courtown and Riverchapel. This may include (but is not limited to) craft work, exhibitions, performances, photography, film and music;
• Foster social interaction and inspire meaningful community participation in the creative design of local identity;
• Accommodate diverse needs of participants.

Artist Profile

The artist must:

• Be mid-career or established in any artistic medium;
• Have extensive experience and be passionate about working with communities and responding to their needs;
• Have presence in the communities of Courtown and Riverchapel on a regular basis.

Applications are open to artists of any medium (architecture, circus, crafts, dance, digital media, film, music, theatre, writing, visual art, and multi-disciplinary practice and design of all kinds).

Project Management

As well as plan and deliver the project, the artist will be expected to project manage. Some limited project management support will be available from the Creative Communities Engagement Officer, and the Gorey/Kilmuckridge Municipal District.

Timeline

The project must be delivered between February and October 2026.

Application

To apply, please the following to artsoffice@wexfordcoco.ie by midnight on Sunday 4^th January 2026 and ensure that you put ‘Courtown/Riverchapel 2026’ in the title of your email:

• A detailed proposal of 2-3 pages setting out your approach to community engagement, and outlining what your vision for the project looks like;
• A statement outlining why you would like to lead this project;
• An up-to-date CV outlining your experience of working with communities, your experience of heritage projects, and your experience of project management;
• Up to 5 examples of previous work that are relevant to this project.