What's New
Event
‘Theatre Room’ Workshop: A Smart D8 project in collaboration with GBHI and Outlandish Theatre
15 January, 2025
Opportunity
Open Call: Arts & Health Residency – Creative Places Tipperary Town
9 January, 2025
Opportunity
Thank you for hearing me – Invitation to participate
8 January, 2025
Event
Museums, Health and Wellbeing Summit 2025 – Online, 28-29 January
7 January, 2025
Opportunity
Unheard Voices: Spoken Word / Poetry Commission
23 December, 2024
Opportunity
Arts, Health & Wellbeing Award 2025: Kildare Arts Service
23 December, 2024
Explore
Case Study
The Gift of Connection for Christmas by Mike Hanrahan & Westport Men’s Shed
When Irish Hospice Foundation and Irish Men’s Sheds invited musician Mike Hanrahan to join forces with Westport Men’s Shed, the brief was simple. Get everyone sharing favourite songs and talking about experiences of grief and loss. What resulted took everyone’s breath away. A creative collaboration that produced a gorgeous song ‘Wishing You Were Here’ for Christmas 2023 that’s still going strong.
Perspective
Finding my ‘guth’: The Lump vs the Irish Language
Irish surgeon Dr Denis Burkitt discovered Burkitt's lymphoma. Belfast filmmaker Éanna Mac Cana was treated for this cancer when he was 19 years old. His documentary feature, Burkitt, combines his personal experiences as an inpatient with an exploration of the life and work of Dr Burkitt. Éanna discusses how he began re-learning the Irish language while making Burkitt and how finding his ‘guth’ (voice) created an environment for healing.
Case Study
Compassionate Culture Networks Across Munster
Irish Hospice Foundation have been developing a Compassionate Culture Network across Ireland since 2021. These are spaces facilitated by artists for people to gently explore loss and how compassion connects through a variety of creative practices. Initially supported by Creative Ireland, additional support from Rethink Ireland’s Impact Fund for Munster enabled expansion across Munster in 2023.
Resources
Research
The impact of social prescribing on health service use and costs
This report from the National Academy for Social Prescribing in the UK summarises the analysis of social prescribing evaluation data from nine local health systems across England. The findings indicate that social prescribing can substantially reduce pressure on the NHS, including through reduced GP appointments, reduced hospital admissions and reduced A&E visits.
Research
Arts Engagement as a Health Behavior: An Opportunity to Address Mental Health Inequities
This U.S. study uses an applied social ecological model of health, showing how arts engagement can support mental health and reduce mental health inequities at the individual, interpersonal, community, policy, and cultural levels.
Research
What does an arts & health organisation do?
To understand what is driving the current momentum in arts and health, and how organisations and practitioners are operating in creating and/or benefitting from that momentum, this report gathers insights from people working in some of the world’s most innovative arts and health organisations. One of the organisations featured is Réalta, Ireland's national resource organisation for arts and health.
