Arts Manager Claire Kieran presented with award to meet the urgent need for Irish-language accessibility tools
12th August, 2025
Arts Manager, Claire Kieran, has been presented with the Anne O’Donoghue Award, a £5000 National Lottery funding award through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and coordinated by the Community Arts Partnership. The career development award is presented in memory of Anne O’Donoghue who was a Director of Play Resource Warehouse in North Belfast and one of the NI arts sector’s leading lights, who sadly passed away in 2014.
Claire Kieran has thirteen years of experience as Arts Manager at An Droichead, where she oversees an Irish traditional arts programme in inner-city Belfast and through her efforts, has brought high-quality Irish traditional arts to new audiences. Having identified an unmet need for Irish-language accessibility tools, Claire Kieran will use the Anne O’Donoghue Award, to learn Baby Sign Language and audio description, adapting them to the Irish-language, a pioneering initiative that will meet growing demand. For the project she will partner with the University of Atypical, an organisation led by disabled people, that supports and promotes work by d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Watch the video with Claire Kieran below.
The Anne O’Donoghue award was established under the Arts Council’s existing Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) as part of the Council’s continuing commitment to support artists and create a sustainable arts sector. Community Arts Partnership administer the award on behalf of the Arts Council.
Conor Shields, CEO, Community Arts Partnership, said, “On behalf of Community Arts Partnership, I’m delighted to congratulate Claire Kieran on being awarded this year’s Anne O’Donoghue Award. Claire’s imaginative and purposeful self-development plan not only supports her own professional growth but also addresses critical gaps in accessibility within the Irish language arts sector. Her project exemplifies the spirit of this award — combining innovation, inclusivity, and leadership in community arts practice.”
Lizzie Devlin, Community Arts Development Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, added, “Anne O’Donoghue contributed a huge amount to the life and legacy of the arts in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to make this award available in her memory to an artist in support of their career, thanks to the National Lottery players. A warm congratulations to Claire Kieran whom I know will benefit greatly from this award. Thanks to money raised for good causes, this National Lottery funding is a game changer in enabling Claire to take her career to the next level and bring her learning back to the wider arts sector, creating increased access to the arts for all.”
Anne O’Donoghue’s legacy is significant, joining the Play Resource Warehouse in 1984 where she remained as a committed director for thirty years, championing community arts practice. With this commitment in mind, the Anne O’Donoghue Award was established by the Arts Council to support an individual working in community arts by building their professional capacity through continuing professional development. The award is hosted and managed by Community Arts Partnership, the lead agency for community arts in N Ireland.
For information on all Arts Council NI funding opportunities visit https://artscouncil-ni.org/fun...