Artistic Director reflects on positive year for Esker Arts Centre

Over 20,000 people attended a ticketed event at Esker Arts Centre Tullamore in 2025.

The cultural venue hosted 190 events, Artistic Director Sean Walsh reflecting on a number of "firsts" for Esker Arts Centre in 2025.

Having opened in 2023, the venue hosted its first jazz concert in August of this year.

The John Donegan Irish Sextet played to an enthusiastic audience "with many people travelling from outside the county to attend.”

"Highlights of the year included Offaly playwright Eugene O’Brien’s 'Heaven', which sold out two nights at the venue and the Blue Raincoat Theatre Company, one of the leading theatre companies in the country, who staged a fabulous piece called 'The Last Pearl'," the Artistic Director said.

Esker Arts Centre presented a number of literary events during 2025 and amongst the guests was Marina Carr.

“Marina is one of Tullamore’s must successful artists and it is important that we have a relationship with such people," Mr Walsh added.

A number of different local arts productions were held at Esker Arts Centre.

"As always, local arts bring in a lot of people to the venue with almost 10,000 people attending dance and stage schools, choirs, the musical society, and the currently running panto at Esker this year," Mr Walsh added.

In November, Esker Arts Centre had its first contemporary dance production, a piece called 'Crystal Cloud', by Irish choreographer Fiona Quilligan.

The Artistic Director described the production as “a beautiful show and a good start for an art form that will need work for us to build an audience".

The visual art programme featured 10 exhibitions across the year.

These included 'BogSkin', an exhibition created by the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA).

"The exhibition was presented in the RHA gallery at the start of the year, and Esker Arts was the only other venue to show the exhibition.

"The programme also included an exhibition presented in association with Amnesty International Ireland highlighting the plight of refugees around the world," the Artistic Director continued.

The year finishes with the second edition of the Offaly Artists Show, an exhibition showcasing the work of artists who are from or living in the county.

The exhibition was curated by artist Geraldine O’Reilly and five works from the exhibition were purchased for the OPW’s national state art collection.

“Visual art is something that is so important for Esker Arts. A big part of the brilliance of the building is the two Croghan Gallery spaces that we have.

"On top of this, we will soon have our artists’ studios ready to make available to artists. We are designed to be a venue with a strong leaning towards visual arts”, Mr Walsh said.

The arts centre also played host to a number of other events during the year, which were outside of the artistic programme.

These included the national arts and health conference, 'Check-In Check-Up', a Creative Schools event for the Arts Council, as well as number of events for Film Offaly Music Generation, Offaly County Council, Irish Waterways, Tullamore Credit Union and Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services.

“There were many incredible days and nights of magic and brilliance. Whether something is exhilarating, moving, contemplative, hilarious or shocking, we are in the business of making experiences," Mr Walsh added.

The Artistic Director also paid his thanks to the staff at the centre.

“We have a great team in place, and I’d like to use this opportunity to thank and praise all the guys. It’s not easy with work on evenings, nights and weekends, long days and juggling many things at once, but they all do it so well," the Artistic Director said.

The Artistic Director said the 2026 programme if events in place "is designed to be impressive and impactful".

"It only leaves me to say thank you to all who have given support and commitment to Esker Arts Centre over the year," Mr Walsh concluded.