Education in the Arts
The mission of the Alfred Beit Foundation is to promote and further the advancement of education in the Fine Arts in Ireland. Maintaining the house and collection is part of this, as is our on-going involvement in a range of creative, cultural and research initiatives and events.
Apollo Project
Creativity, education and wellbeing are at the heart of the Apollo Project, with an emphasis on collaborating and partnering with young people to co-create vibrant and fun experiences in the Gallery. Made possible through the generous support of the Apollo Foundation, the initiative is co-produced by young people of all abilities, the National Gallery of Ireland, and Russborough House.
Creative Ireland
Russborough, in partnership with Wicklow County Council’s Culture team, as part of the Creative Ireland programme, collaborates with the annual nationwide celebrations of youthful creativity. Cruinniú na nÓg encouraged children and young people’s participation in culture and creativity through performance, workshops, screenings, art, music and more. Cruinniú na Cásca, was a large-scale free public festival to celebrate culture and creativity in contemporary Irish society through a variety of live music and dance, coding, theatre, art and music workshops, talks and tastings. We look forward to future events.
The Crocus Project
The Crocus Project is an Irish initiative whereby Holocaust Education Trust Ireland (HETI) provides yellow crocus bulbs for school pupils aged 11 years and older to plant in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust, and thousands of other children who were victims of Nazi atrocities.
Alfred Beit Foundation trustee, Klaus Unger, whose father was one of the German immigrants who arrived in 1939, has been involved in HETI since its establishment in 2005. In 2017 an Irish oak tree was dedicated to the memory of all of the children who perished in the Holocaust, it is surrounded by the golden crocuses in the shape of a star which emerge each year in Spring, planted by schoolchildren from Gaelscoil na Lochanna. Learn more about this project here hetireland.org/programmes/crocus-project/
Heritage Week
Russborough is an enthusiastic participant in the annual National Heritage Week, coordinated by The Heritage Council with an aim to build awareness and education about our heritage. During this week many national and hundreds of local community organisations organise special events and each year we offer an exciting programme of free activities.
National Drawing Day
An initiative of the National Gallery of Ireland, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, National Drawing Day encourages people to get drawing. Every year, Russborough, along with other museums, galleries, libraries and cultural organisations throughout Ireland, encourages people to get drawing with a jam-packed day of free events for people of all ages. Sign up to our newsletter to receive up-to-date information.
Culture Night
A late night of free cultural discovery across the island of Ireland, held every year during September, Culture Night brings a unique offering from the Russborough team - live music, performances and art demonstrations. Sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date with our latest plans and check our What's On page.
