Wicklow County Council was recognised at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, taking the award in the Sustaining the Arts Category for the Creative Places Baltinglass Programme in West Wicklow. 

The 22nd annual Awards ceremony, which took place in Dublin last night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, had a record number of applications from Local Authorities to the Scheme in 2025.

Wicklow County Council was nominated and shortlisted in a total of four categories for the awards. Demonstrating the high quality work being supported by Wicklow, these included the following:

• Communications (Wicklow Welcomes: Multilingual Conversation Circles)
• Diversity & Inclusion (Wicklow Travellers Urban Outdoor Initiative)
• Supporting Tourism (Wicklow Passport)
• Sustaining the Arts (Creative Places Baltinglass)

The winning project, Creative Places Baltinglass, provides a wide range of arts and creative experiences underpinned by the principles of socially engaged arts practice and community development. The overarching ambition is to enliven the town as a place of social creativity by working with community groups, families and children, to facilitate imaginative engagement opportunities and enhance local arts practice and capacity toward a sustainable future.

To date projects have included Artist Residencies in Respond Social Housing Estate, IPAS Centres, Scoil Naomh Iosaf Primary School, Scoil Chonglais Secondary School; the development of a community choir, Bealtaine Tea Dances, artist supports and a project grant scheme for artists and the community. 

Creative Places Baltinglass was originally a three-year project led by Wicklow County Council, with support from the Arts Council, to bring a range of arts experiences to the West Wicklow.  The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon increased the application possibilities in 2025, and Wicklow County Council has successfully been awarded a further two years funding for the Scheme in Baltinglass until the middle of 2027. 

The Arts Council's Creative Places scheme is a programme of sustained arts investment in areas that have had fewer opportunities to participate in the arts, such as towns, villages, and rural communities. It supports local groups and artists to develop and run long-term, community-focused arts projects, aiming to build vibrant, accessible, and stimulating local arts programmes.

Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, expressed her congratulations to everyone involved, “I am pleased to see all of the four nominations reach the final adjudication. This acknowledges the hard work commitment in the provision of community leadership and targeted investment by Wicklow County Council. I am delighted that Chambers Ireland and the adjudicators have recognised the value of the Creative Places Baltinglass project which won for its commitment to sustaining the arts.  We thank the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon for the Creative Places scheme which has allowed us to develop this initiative”.

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Cllr. Melanie Corrigan commented, “It is wonderful to see the long term developmental work undertaken in the arts by Wicklow County Council’s Arts Office in Baltinglass recognised.  It is a testament to all of those involved in the project which is deeply rooted in the local area, and informed by the community.  The commitment and rich engagement in Creative Places Baltinglass from local artists, stakeholders and the public has led to the success in the Chamber’s Ireland Award Excellence in Local Government Award Scheme”.

Arts Officer Jenny Sherwin expressed her gratitude, “I would like to thank to the Arts Office team, the public who have engaged with the programme and all of those artists, contractors and community members who have made Creative Baltinglass a success”.

The Awards were held in association with the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, sponsored by Ørsted, showcasing and celebrating the best of Local Government in Ireland.