Children's creativity shouldn’t be left to a once-a-year celebration

The soft skills learned from the freedom to be creative are ones we all need in daily life, so where are the extra points for those who want to study arts, asks Patrick Holloway

One of the characters who took part in the Carnival of Collective Joy in Carlow College during the Carlow Arts Festival. Our school systems still operate as if maths and science sit above arts and humanities in the hierarchy of learning.

Each June, children and young people across Ireland take part in Cruinniú na nÓg — a national day of free creativity for under-18s. Workshops, performances, exhibitions, and events pop up in libraries, theatres, parks, and community spaces across the country. Ireland is the first, and still the only, country in the world to dedicate a national day entirely to children’s creativity.

I only heard about it recently, even though it has been running since 2018. At first, I was impressed. I immediately began wondering how I might get involved — perhaps through my daughters’ school or in some local capacity. But the more I thought about it, the more another question crept in: Why do we need a day like this at all?