These case studies showcase examples of diverse arts and health projects which are characterised by clear artistic vision, goals and outcomes, and are delivered by professional artists. The diversity of artforms, contexts, partnerships and structures gives an insight into the full range of arts and health practice.
To contribute an arts and health case study please e-mail info@artsandhealth.ie to request a template.
Case study
Theatre maker Anna Newell ignites the imagination of our youngest audiences through responsive, multisensory theatre adventures. Since autumn 2023, Anna has been bringing bedside performances to babies and children with complex needs in Dublin hospitals, as part of an ongoing collaboration with Children's Health Ireland.
28 February, 2025
Case study
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.
18 December, 2024
Case study
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.
1 November, 2024
Case study
A Dive in Line showcases a yearlong exploratory project in West Cork between six individuals experiencing Parkinson’s disease / Parkinsonism, healthcare staff in Dunmanway Community Hospital and Day Care Centre, and participatory artist / speech & language therapist Áine Rose Connell. The project formed part of the Arts for Health Partnership Programme West Cork.
9 October, 2024
Case study
Making My Mark is a pilot art programme with renal dialysis patients at the BBraun Wellstone Wexford Renal Care Centre. Delivered by artist Kate Murphy, the programme ran from February to June 2024, and culminated in a public exhibition of patient artwork.
1 September, 2024
Case study
Artist Vincent Devine, cancer researchers at UCD Conway Institute, and patient partners with a lived experience of cancer worked collaboratively to integrate art and science. From these conversations, Devine created a powerful visual representation that offers a glimpse into the journey of cancer, from its molecular origins to its profound effects on an individual’s wellbeing.
24 August, 2024
Case study
Inclusive Dance Club is a creative dance project for children and young people with additional needs, exploring dance with a team of professional dance artists in a calm and safe environment. The project forms part of DL.BRIDGE, a Dance Limerick programme led by choreographer Katy Hewison.
27 June, 2024
Case study
A Bright Light was a collaborative book project with children of families who foster, about their experiences of having foster siblings. The project was a partnership between Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership and the Foster Care Resource Service Sligo, Leitrim, and West Cavan Area. Creative sessions with children and young people from families who foster took place in 2022 in Sligo.
1 May, 2024
Case study
The Storytelling through Weaving project was designed and delivered by wellbeing artist Lucy Hyland and participants from Headway in Cork, a support service for people affected by stroke and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Participants created individual weaves and the project culminated in a shared woven wall hanging as a visual account of their recovery from ABI and stroke.
20 April, 2024
Case study
The arts and cultural engagement in all their forms help people of all ages explore and articulate loss, death, dying, and grief. Since Irish Hospice Foundation’s Arts and Cultural Engagement programme began in 2021, we’ve focused mainly on the bereaved and grieving. In 2023, we trialled an Artists in Residence in Service to People at End of Life project.
12 March, 2024
Case study
Songlines brought together artists and people living with dementia and cognitive impairment to discuss favourite poems and songs in four care settings in Waterford and Wexford. A series of workshops in 2023 drew out memories, and resulted in the creation of new work, which was performed by artists, residents, and staff at celebratory live performances as part of Festival in a Van.
6 February, 2024
Case study
Creative Carers is a community-based strand of the Arts for Health Partnership Programme in West Cork, initiated in 2022. The programme creates access to engage with the arts for and with family carers, taking place at carers' homes, in arts spaces and in community settings across the region.
2 January, 2024
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