Shared Island Project
To the Power of 3
Tallaght Community Arts is delighted to have been one of a select few diverse projects on the Island of Ireland to be awarded funding from Creative Ireland, for our collaborative project ‘To the Power of 3.’
‘To the Power of 3’ is a creative exchange between young people from Derry/Londonderry, Tallaght and Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The project utilises performance to explore the importance of cultural connection, diversity, pride of place, and what it means to be a young person on the island of Ireland today.
60 young participants came together for creative exchanges, with approximately 20 participants from each of the project’s three creative partners:
Our partners:
Creative Places Mac Uíllíam - from Mac Uíllíam Estate, Tallaght and surrounding area, facilitated by Freshly Ground Theatre artists Bronwen Barrett and Michelle Henry, supported by coordinator Jennifer Webster.
creativeplacesmacuilliam.ie
Creative Places Enniscorthy - from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, facilitated by Fintan Kelly and Anita Petry, supported by coordinator Deryn O'Callaghan.
creativeplacesenniscorthy.ie
FUSE and Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership - from Derry/Londonderry, facilitated by the Makey Uppers artists Sorcha Shanahan and Gemma Walker Farren supported by coordinators Aoife Boyle and Zoë McSparron.
waterside-neighbourhood-partnership
To the Power of 3 Artist Team:
Artistic Director – Jenny Macdonald
Assistant Director – Vlad Gurdis
Creative Producer – Jennifer Webster
Artist Facilitators, Derry/Londonderry – Sorcha Shanahan & Gemma Walker Farren
Artist Facilitators, Enniscorthy – Fintan Kelly & Anita Petry
Artist Facilitators, Tallaght – Bronwen Barrett & Michelle Henry
Sound Design – Martha Knight
Production Design & Management – SoFFt Productions
Creative Design Lead – Natasha Duffy
Production Manager – Rua Barron
Site Decor & Props – Geraldine Coakley
Production & Decor Assistant – Sarah Bartle
Lighting Designer – Jules Harrap
Site Assistants – Simon Daly & Wayne Gough
TCA Director – Sharon Devlin
Photography & Videography – Conor Keegan & Leo Kearney
Residentials/YAP Coordinator – Jack Jones
Enniscorthy Coordinator – Deryn O’Callaghan / Creative Places Enniscorthy
Derry/Londonderry Coordinators – Aoife Boyle & Zoe McSparron / FUSE Arts
Tallaght Coordinators – Jennifer Webster & Jack Jones / Creative Places Mac Uíllíam
Youth Participant Support / Enniscorthy – Sarah Kelly & Áine McDonald
Participant Welfare Support – Sharon Doyle
Project Evaluators – Seán Farrelly, Samatha Morris & Shaun Usher
Graphic Design & Social Media – Dan Devlin
PR – Jeanette Keane
Social Media
Follow our journey on social media:
@tallaghtcommunityarts
Residentials
Residential One - Dublin
The first "To the Power of 3" residential took place in Dublin during the weekend of February 14th - 17th, 2025. The participants were based in Generator Hotel, Smithfield, Dublin 7, and traveled by Luas each day to Tallaght, where they alternated between Rua Red - South Dublin Arts Centre and St. Aidan's Community School, beside Mac Uíllíam estate.
As the very first of the residentials, the workshops were initially geared towards ice-breaker activities and getting to know each other as a diverse group. The focus then shifted towards providing a basic understanding of a wide variety of artistic concepts and skills, such as:
- Writing
- Directing
- Scene Work
- Myth
- Physical Theatre
- Movement
- Give / Gain
- Songwriting
- Play
As the residential drew towards a close, there were sharing sessions and time devoted to devising, in broad terms, where the project might lead to. There were also reflections on personal learning and reflections on the next creative steps required for the project.
Residential Two - Enniscorthy
The second "To the Power of 3" residential took place in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford during the weekend of April 11th - 14th, 2025. The participants were based in The Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, and they alternated between there and Presentation Arts Centre for their workshops and activities.
Having done a lot of solid foundation work during the first residential, the participants were able to hit the ground running and go straight into more detailed areas. They spent the first day taking part in creative workshops, exploring the key questions at the centre of the “To the Power of 3” project, and then collecting the best creations to take forward into the next day’s sessions, to be developed more deeply. These ‘deeper dives’ were done initially in small groups, working on the fruits of the workshop sessions. The artist team wanted this phase of the project to lean heavily on self-lead work (with facilitator support), given that the participants now had a much better understanding of the project and more confidence and belief in themselves to work autonomously. As the ideas became more cohesive, they shared their work with the wider group in open discussions, with a view to considering how the creations could be pieced together. It was also time to begin thinking about the format of the final “To the Power of 3” performance, which would come after the three residentials were completed. Once again, as the residential drew to an end, there was time devoted to reflections on the participants’ personal learning and on the next creative steps required for the project as a whole. .
Once again, as the residential drew to an end, there was time devoted to reflections on the participants' personal learning and on the next creative steps required for the project as a whole.
Residential Three - Derry/Londonderry (& Buncrana)
The third and final ‘To the Power of 3’ residential took place in Derry/Londonderry from Thursday 26th June - Thursday 3rd July 2025. The participants were based initially at Tullyarvan Mill in Buncrana and then they moved to St. Columb’s Park House in Derry/Londonderry.
This residential was the final run-in towards the project’s big finale, and most of the time was spent fine-tuning the nuances of the various performance pieces, then choosing the right locations to stage each piece. There was also a lot of time devoted to production work and the crafting of sets, and this aspect was led by the amazing team at SoFFt Productions who we were delighted to work alongside once again, as they not only looked after set and production design, but also mentored the budding creatives amidst the ranks of our young participants, potentially inspiring some of them into taking up careers in the arts production industry.
The final residential differed somewhat from the previous two because, (a) it was significantly longer in duration (8 days), and (b) it incorporated the staging of a series of promenade performances in the grounds of St. Columb’s Park House and Gardens, Derry/Londonderry on the final day - Thursday 3rd July 2025.
These performances represented the distillation and development of a year long process, exploring what it means to share this island. The participants shared their discoveries through stories, songs, dance, theatre and visual installation, all knitted together in a series of fluid, mobile performances that saw the audience follow the performers around the grounds of St. Columb’s Park House and Gardens in Derry/Londonderry. There were three performances on Thursday 3rd July - at 5pm, 6:30pm and 8pm - all ticketed via Eventbrite and all sold out! There was also a livestream of the 8pm show for those who missed out on tickets or couldn’t make it in person.
Outcome
The project’s success, for us, is defined by the young people being empowered and equipped to carry on their own artistic practice, collaboratively or individually, into the future. The artist team have equipped the participants with sustainable skills for both this project and future endeavours. As a consortium of organisations whose work involves having both a hyper-local and a broad national focus, a goal of this project is to pass on this awareness to the next generation of arts leaders and citizens.
“This performance is the culmination of five months of collaboration,” says Artistic Director Jenny Macdonald. “Participants have shared ideas and inspirations from their own communities and their experiences of travelling to meet others. Their skills, talents and peer learning have led to a truly inspired site specific, promenade performance through the beautiful grounds of St. Columb’s Park House. Their work is a real testament to the power of collective community engagement and the impact that arts participation can have in young people’s lives.”
“It has been so inspiring to see the impact and development of the young people throughout the project” says Creative Producer Jennifer Webster, “the personal journey that each participant has taken has been at times challenging but they have risen to this challenge and embraced the collaboration and opportunities presented to them. The artist team have provided them with the tools and support needed to navigate and blossom. The entire process has been incredibly transformational for both participants and the team alike.”
“It was an honour to witness the young people as they progressed on their journey to build relationships with each other, and discover the spaces and places that their peers live, work and participate in their activities” says TCA Creative Director Sharon Devlin. “As ‘To the Power of 3’ unfolded, the participants slowly began to build confidence and tune into their own artistic voices, and become writers, directors and producers of their own work. It was really fantastic to see them all grow and change, meet challenges and struggle, but find a way through, and then to see them all beaming with pride and happiness and delight during and after their performances. It’s a life changing experience for them all and, no matter what they choose to do in their future lives, this experience will always stand to them.”
The ‘To the Power of 3’ project has been comprehensively documented on our Facebook and Instagram pages and, in the coming weeks, there will be a short film released showing the journey of the project participants from initial introductions to final performances.
To the Power of 3 is funded by the Creative Ireland Programme as part of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative and kindly supported by Tallaght Community Arts, the Arts Council of Ireland, SDCC Arts Office, Creative Places Mac Uíllíam and Creative Places Enniscorthy.