Wexford Festival Opera and Culture Night events taking place at Enniscorthy Creative Activity Garden

A collaboration with Wexford Festival Opera and marking ‘Culture Night’ are features of outdoor events taking place this month at the Creative Activity Garden, located on the grounds of St. John’s Community Hospital in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.

Centred on an amphitheatre styled area, the Creative Activity Garden is a multi-functional space for gatherings and health and wellbeing activities in the heart of the HSE healthcare campus.

The attendance at the multi-cultural performance include residents and service users, staff, visitors and neighbours of the campus in Enniscorthy. Refreshments are provided by the catering team from St. John’s Community Hospital.

The Activity Garden project was supported as a placement incentive by Wexford County Council’s Culture and Creativity team and Age Friendly programme, in partnership with the HSE, Creative Ireland, the Irish Architectural Foundation and the Enniscorthy Men’s Shed. Opened in September of last year, the development was also made possible thanks to funding from the government’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Wexford Festival Opera at the Creative Activity Garden, Wednesday 16th September

As part of the ‘Synapses’ element of its Learning and Engagement outreach programme, which presents performances at care homes and day centres, a concert featuring singers and musicians from the forthcoming Wexford Festival Opera will take place at the Creative Activity Garden at 2pm on Wednesday 16th September.

It will be an opportunity for residents, patients and staff to experience live opera in the garden and to promote social connection, engagement and positive mental and physical wellbeing. Familiar songs including “Believe Me, All Those Endearing Young Charms”, “Danny Boy” and “Boolavogue” will form part of the programme.

Following the garden performance, the singers will visit St John’s Community Hospital.

The 75th Wexford Festival Opera itself takes place from 15th to 31st October.

‘Culture Night’ at the Creative Activity Garden, Friday, 18th September

Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir, in its 21st year and supported by the Arts Council, celebrates culture, creativity and the arts and seeks to actively promote the belief that this rich and varied culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in people’s lives, today and every day.

In association with Creative Places and Wexford County Council, the Culture Night event at 5.30pm on Friday, 18th September in the Creative Activity Garden will feature a specially curated music programme ‘as Gaeilge’ presented by ‘The Yellow Bellows’/Music Generation Wexford. Their contemporary interpretation of Irish traditional music will be preceded by a performance from children of Gaelscoil Inis Córthaidh primary school.

Looking forward to both occasions, Mick Mahon of the HSE and the St. John’s Healthy Campus group advised that in the event of poor weather, the events can be moved to an indoor, covered are in St. John’s Community Hospital.