Réalta, the national resource organisation for arts + health in Ireland, which manages the Waterford Healing Arts programmes, has announced the full schedule for this year’s Arts + Health: Check Up Check In.
Taking place on Thursday 30 April at The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, Check Up Check In promotes solidarity among arts and health practitioners. This year’s event provides opportunities for participants to share their experiences, exchange ideas and support and inspire each other in their practice through a range of themed presentations, including a special Case Study focus on In the Moment, the Waterford Healing Arts programme in palliative care. Full programme details below and here:
– Keynote Address by Karrie Marshall, artist, educator and author, on the theme The Essential Power of Creativity and Compassion in Healthcare.
– Sticking Points: What to do when you get stuck – Artists and healthcare professionals share challenges they have faced in their work and look for solutions to overcome them, featuring Dr Sheelagh Broderick, Arts & Culture Lead, HSE South West; Declan Kennedy, Visual Artist (County Wexford) and Olivia Hassett, Performance Artist (Dublin).
– In the Moment – A case study conversation about the Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts programme at the South East Palliative Care Centre, at University Hospital Waterford, presented by Writer Lani O’Hanlon, Visual Artist Caroline Schofield and moderated by Maeve Butler, Assistant Director of Réalta.
– Introduction to the Arts + Health Policy & Strategy Consultation, by Catherine Abbott, Arts + Health Manager with The Arts Council.
– What’s My Practice? A series of workshops examining methodologies employed in collaborative / participatory arts + health practice in Ireland, across a range of artforms. The workshop facilitators and themes will be:
– Stories in Motion: Exploring Arts + Health Practice
with theatre maker Gabrielle Breathnach
– Methods for Listening: Zine-Making in Arts + Health
with socially-engaged artist and HSE content designer Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma
– Arts & Health Policy Focus Group
with Catherine Abbott, Arts + Health Manager, The Arts Council and Emily Boylan, Creative Health and Wellbeing lead, Creative Ireland Programme
– The Beloved Particulars – Creative Writing in Arts + Health Settings
with writer Lani O’Hanlon
– Soft Research
with visual artist John Conway
– YOU ARE HERE – Artists Yvonne Cullivan and Manuela Corbari will introduce their short film about an immersive project at Galway University Hospitals and Merlin Park Hospitals which invites patients and staff to connect with nature through a multi-sensory experience. YOU ARE HERE is a collaboration with Saolta Arts and is the recipient of the artsandhealth.ie Documentation Bursary 2025, funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.
– The Participant Voice – An In Conversation with a young participant from Helium Arts and Trudie Gorman, Youth Participation & Engagement Co-ordinator with Helium Arts.
– Musical Warm-Up & Reflection – Eimear Reidy, cellist, will lead the musical introductions and final reflections on the day.
The fee for the full day, including lunch, is €30. To book your ticket click here Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2026 is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE, with additional support from the Arts Office of Leitrim County Council.
The ‘go to’ event for artists, healthcare professionals and arts + health practitioners, Arts + Health: Check Up Check In promotes solidarity, practice sharing and exchange, and is open to anyone working in, or interested in learning more about arts + health.
Réalta is the national resource organisation dedicated to developing arts + health in Ireland. Through its national programme, Réalta delivers training; provides information, mentoring and advice; supports networking; engages with the HSE and other policy makers to increase understanding and support for arts + health; and provides the national information hub artsandhealth.ie. At local level, Réalta delivers the Waterford Healing Arts programmes, which bring arts experiences – music, visual art, creative writing, storytelling – to patients at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings to promote creativity, connection and discovery, and reduce isolation, anxiety and stress for patients, family members and staff. The Waterford Healing Arts programmes also provide rich examples of good practice, and opportunities to research, pilot and evaluate new ideas, all of which informs Réalta’s national work. Réalta is core funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.
EVENT: Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2026
DATE: Thursday 30 April
VENUE: The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, N41T2X2
COST: €30.00 (including lunch)
TO BOOK: Click here to book your ticket
WORKSHOPS: Ticket-holders can read more about each workshop option here and can book their preferred workshop by emailing Réalta at info@realta.ie
ACCESS: Ticket-holders are asked to contact Réalta in advance regarding any access requirements: info@realta.ie / 051 842664
Photo above by Paul Moore features Sadhbh O’Sullivan, Embrace Music, taken at Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2025
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