Exhibitions
2-9 August | 1pm-6pm
AT THE MASONIC HALL
Please note:
The Masonic Hall is not wheelchair accessible.
The Project Twins
Nod, Wink, Punch, Punch.
The Project Twins create bold, minimal works drawing on the visual language of signs, symbols and pictograms. Their playful, collaborative process blends humour, irony and wit, exploring the space between the serious and the absurd. Influenced by everything from wayfinding systems to emojis, their work reflects the ubiquity of graphic language in daily life.
Finn Nichol
Operation Transformation embodies the spirits of neoliberal Ireland, enacting strange, solitary rituals that connect mythological transformation to Ireland’s evolving relationship with capitalism and colonial anxiety.
Supported by Offaly County Council Arts Act Grant.
AT BIRR CASTLE
The Rosse Drawing Exhibition
Copper Tree Gallery
A remarkable exhibition of historic astronomical
drawings, including sketches believed to have
influenced Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
The exhibition showcases the renowned drawings of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, and includes extraordinary depictions of spiral nebulae, created in Birr between 1845 and 1866 using the Great Telescope - the world’s largest at the time. Created under tough night-time conditions, these drawings mark a key moment in astronomy, offering a rare look at the universe before the era of astrophotography.
AT THE OLD CINEMA
Paul Bokslag
Old Cinema, Brendan Street
Flight
Step into a glowing world of light and sound. This UV installation features animated white doves, symbols of peace, spreading their wings and lighting up the dark. Created in collaboration with service users at Longford’s St. Christopher’s Services, and accompanied by a beautiful soundscape by Andy Spierpoint, the work invites you to pause, look up and feel the calm.
In the Old Cinema Foyer
TEN
Ten local artists and designers bring Sign Symbol Word to life with bold, original prints created in collaboration with Limerick Printmakers. Their work celebrates the power of imagery, text and design, offering fresh perspectives inspired by our shared environment.
Andrea Moore, Naomi McArdle, George Dempsey Flanagan, Paula Kelly, Catriona McArdle, Bronagh Tully, Leanne Dooley, Jon Barr, Emma Barone, Karla Finnegan.
Young Voices in Print
Adding to the exhibition, students from Killeen NS and Dromakeenan NS, guided by Andrea and Naomi, share imaginative and playful responses to Sign Symbol Word, bringing fresh perspectives to the theme.
Memories of a Sign Writer
Step into the world of Brendan Moon, master sign writer of Birr. In this audio-visual recording, he shares memories of his craft, visiting sign writers and the changing history of Birr’s streets.
AT OXMANTOWN NATIONAL SCHOOL
Open Submission
Exhibition
Curated by the Project Twins.
From ancient stone carvings to cartography, humans have always invented ways to make sense of the world. This open call invites artists to play with how meaning is made, coded and decoded in our image-saturated, fast-talking world.
The Press
Photographers
Association of
Ireland (PPAI)
Annual PPAI exhibition, sponsored by AIB.
This collection of images accurately describes the Ireland of 2024; presenting not only a record of our island’s history, but also is a testament of the incredible skill of our press photographers. The exhibition is on a national tour.
AT BIRR THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE
Emma Barone’s ‘Orb’ Exhibition
A Profound Journey into the
Spherical
This compelling collection of paintings is
dedicated entirely to Barone’s enduring
fascination with the sphere, a shape that
has captivated her throughout her artistic
life. Barone’s work, through its meticulous
articulation of colour, light and space, offers
a profound meditation on the delicate,
liminal boundaries between our tangible
reality and the elusive realm of spiritual
transcendence.
Emma will also have her Croneen Connections mosaic, made in collaboration with Avista Support Services, on display in the window of Hoctor Smyth on Main St, Birr during Vintage Week. For more info on the project, click here.
AT THE COURTHOUSE YARD
Join the Birr Crafters and Help Create a Community
Artwork!
Everyone is welcome to take part in this fun, hands-on project celebrating memories of past parades. Choose a section of our pre-planned artwork and bring it to life using collage, textiles, stitching and sticking – no experience needed! All materials are provided – just bring your enthusiasm and creativity! Workshops on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, 2-4pm.
Alphabet Soup -
Come Play!
Have fun with our oversized alphabet building blocks — each letter taken from the shop signs of Birr! Can you guess which shopfront they came from?
Remembering Birr’s Shopfronts
Enjoy an outdoor exhibition of shopfront images, gathered through a community call-out. This collection celebrates the charm, history and stories behind Birr’s local businesses and streetscapes.
OTHER LOCATIONS
Louise Reid - Winner of the Solo Exhibition Award 2025
The Space Above, Main Street
Louise’s work captures the eerie emptiness
and demise of the Irish rural village. Capturing
weather beaten structures in need of
maintenance, her work seeks to invoke the
spectator to question what these structures
add to the landscape rather than what they
take away from it.
Tin Jug Studio
Brendan Street
Check the noticeboard at the gates or follow us on Facebook/Instagram for opening days and times. Explore the Mini-Museums of Birr, featuring Rosalind’s evocative sketches and photographs, Derek’s enchanting mythical wood carvings, and a Curiosities Shop filled with oddities, flotsam and jetsam — each piece with its own story and price (bargaining welcome!).
Contact Rosalind 087 668 1783 / info@tinjugstudio.com.
Birr Art Group
St Brendan's Hall
Join Us for a Celebration of Local Art! This exhibition showcases artwork created by members during their weekly gatherings and special plein-air sessions held throughout Vintage Week. Catch our artists painting live at three scenic spots around town – and if you’d like to join in, you’re more than welcome!
Just contact Jean Forristal at (086) 023 4690.
The Secret Language of Stuff
Main Street Venue TBC
Group exhibition of recent graduates whose work playfully and satirically explores visual language, while also engaging in a thoughtful examination of its deeper meanings and complexities.
