Roundup of our 2026 Arts in Education Portal Spring Regional Day

Arts in Education Portal Spring Regional Day
25 April 2026

Our 2026 Spring Regional Day was held on Saturday 25 April at the Garage Theatre, Monaghan. It was a fun-filled day with lots of interesting conversations with peers, inspiring presentations and interactive workshops.

Dr. Katie Sweeney, Chair of the Arts in Education Portal and National Director for the Integration of the Arts in Education opened the day with insights into the area of creativity in education. Then Teresa McSorley, Director of Monaghan Education Centre, talked about opportunities in the North-East region, welcoming any artist or teacher interested to get in touch with their Education Centre.

Mindful Transitions – Learning Through Creativity

Next up, artists Sally-Ann Duffy & Caroline Clarke from Bailieborough Creative Hub shared a fascinating collaborative project between primary and secondary students which addressed anxieties around moving from primary to secondary school and beyond. It was wonderful to hear about interactions between the different age students and the long term relationships created and nurtured by this project.

View Sally-Ann and Caroline’s presentation Mindful Transitions – Learning Through Creativity below:

Watch short video’s of this Creative Cluster project exhibition – YouTube Shorts link

Waves and Wonders: A TAP Creative Project

Teacher Oonagh Gilsenan & Artist Rebecca Maguire shared their learnings from a TAP+ residency at Navan Educate Together N.S. that transformed a Senior Infants classroom into an ocean of imagination using the humble pebble! Their presentation was very hands-on: we learnt step by step how they structured the project and then we got to do the individual steps ourselves, creating colourful pebble characters and stories.

View Rebecca and Oonagh’s presentation – Waves and Wonders: A TAP Creative Project here

Groovin’ Out – Drumming workshop

After lunch, half of the participants joined musician Aidan Dunphy for a hands-on, interactive hand drumming session. Aidan is an incredible facilitator, putting everybody at ease and guiding the group through different rhythms and flows.

Creativity through Circus

The rest of the participants joined circus artist Maria Corcoran for playful circus skills and drama-based activities. This was a really active, fun workshop where we juggled, balanced feathers, hula hooped and more! It was fascinating to see Maria mapping out how these skills can be used in educational settings. Except a surge of circuses in the North-East region!

Thanks to all involved in making the day a huge success, especially the Garage Theatre who gave us all such a lovely welcome!

Drumming workshop with Aidan Dunphy at Portal Spring Regional Day 2026. Photos: Éilís Murphy

Circus Skills workshop with artist Maria Corcoran at 2026 Portal Spring Regional Day. Photo: Éilís Murphy