Welcome
Celebrating Our Creative Communities
As we mark Anam Beo’s 20th anniversary, we invite you to join in and explore Offaly’s creative arts spaces, experience the Anam Beo programme, and engage with key voices at the intersection of arts, health, critical social thinking, and public engagement. Join us as we reflect on our journey, celebrate our impact, and look ahead to the future of creative engagement in health and community settings. These gatherings provide a unique opportunity to experience Offaly’s art facilities and spaces, discover Anam Beo’s programmes and publications, and engage in meaningful artistic discussions.
As always events are free, but booking may be essential. We look forward to celebrating with you! Anam Beo Artists Rowena, Jackie & Julie
“I’m delighted and grateful to be part of Offaly arts and its vibrant creative community, where people are at the heart of everything, and creativity serves as a powerful outlet for expression and connection.” Ciara Kinarnney, Anam Beo
Thank you to the 20th Artists: Emma Barone, Dr Philip Brady, Marie Brett, John Conway, Camilla Fanning, Michael Fortune, John Grogan, Gráinne Hope, Rowena Keaveny, Jackie Lynch, Aoise O’Dwyer, Ruairí O’Shea, Camilo Gaete Puga & Julie Spollen.
For advocating Anam Beo over the years and supporting our 20th anniversary; Offaly County Council, Creative Ireland, Offaly Public Participation Network, Age Friendly Offaly Alliance, Offaly Older Peoples Network, Esker Arts, Age and Opportunity, Music Health Ireland, Arts + Health.ie, Réalta, Birr Castle, Birr Theatre, Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival, Clara Day Care, Birr, Riada and Ofalia Community & Nursing Units, Arts & Health Coordinators Ireland and Dublin Mid-Leinster HSE Older Persons Community Services. A special thanks to artist Jackie Lynch, a founding member, and Dr. Gerard Crotty for their unwavering support over the years. We deeply appreciate all the artists, musicians, writers, dancers, activity staff, participants, centres, groups, networks, stakeholders and collaborators who have enriched our journey. Your contributions have made a lasting impact, we are grateful for your dedication to creativity and community. Thank you to our Board of Management: Robert Alexander, Molly Buckley, Frances Kawala, Ciara Kinnarney, William Larkin, and Petrina Slattery. They are integral to Anam Beo Arts Collective, championing arts inclusivity.
Anam Beo is an independent Arts in Health Organisation initiated in 2005 by Offaly County Council’s Arts Office and the Dublin Mid Leinster HSE, to support and promote the benefits of the arts within a healthcare environment in Offaly. The project was founded on an evaluation and recommendations from a pilot programme with Tom Meskell as Artist in Residence within the care settings, again initiated by Offaly Arts Office. The evaluation highlighted a strong desire by the participating centres for more art intervention as participants had demonstrated notable increases in confidence, mobility and wellbeing.
By 2010, Anam Beo had established itself as an independent company. Their programme has grown in variety and diversity, with the number and scope of their projects and their support base also diversifying. From the outset there was a strong collaborative partnership with and support from the Arts Office, which continues to the present day.
Anam Beo supports the needs within our community, in terms of social inclusion and positive healing, encouraging creativity, individual empowerment and an expressive voice. It takes a particular skill on the part of an artist leading on such projects to bring out the artist in every participant, with an ethos that is non-judgemental, process-driven and the ability to recognise the creative potential within every individual.
On behalf of Offaly Arts Office, I would like to wish Anam Beo a huge congratulations on achieving their 20th year in operation and wish them many more to come.
Dr. Sally O’Leary
Arts Officer
Offaly County Council