Age & Opportunity partners with Kilkenny County Council Arts Office, and Meath and Louth County Councils to support older artists through a series of Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Awards.
These partnerships reflect our ongoing commitment to championing creative ageing and ensuring that professional artists aged 50+ can continue to develop their practice, expand their networks, and take time for meaningful creative reflection.
The Age & Opportunity Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Awards are designed to provide time, space, and support for older professional artists across Ireland. Through dedicated bursaries, artists are given the invaluable opportunity to step away from daily demands and immerse themselves in their creative work within the inspiring setting of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.
Residencies such as these play a vital role in sustaining artistic practice, fostering new ideas, and strengthening peer connections across disciplines and regions.
Kilkenny Applicants
In partnership with Kilkenny County Council Arts Office, one artist will receive:
- A funded week-long residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre
- Accommodation, workspace, and a small stipend
- The opportunity to dedicate focused time to their artistic development
Eligibility:
Applicants must:
- Be a professional artist aged 50+
- Be recognised by peers (e.g. professional membership)
- Be working in any artform
- Have been based in Kilkenny for a minimum of two years
Application requirements:
- Completed application form
- Short biography
- CV
- Three samples of work
- Two professional referees
🕓 Deadline: 4pm, Wednesday 10 June 2026
📧 Submit to: Deirdre.Southey@kilkennycoco.ie
Click here for the application form and more details: The Age & Opportunity Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Award 2026 – Kilkenny County Council Arts Ofice
Meath & Louth Applicants
In partnership with Meath County Council Arts Office and Louth County Council Arts Office, two additional residencies are available:
- One award for an artist based in Meath
- One award for an artist based in Louth
Each artist will receive a funded week-long residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, including a small stipend.
Residency period for all awards: July – December 2026
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must:
- Be a professional artist aged 50+
- Be recognised as professional by their peers
- Be living and working in Meath or Louth
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed based on:
- Proven track record (e.g. exhibitions, publications, performances)
- Artistic ambition and vision
- Clear benefit of the residency to practice
- Understanding of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and its ethos
- Quality of supporting materials
Application process
Applicants must submit:
- Completed application form
- Short biography
- CV
- Three samples of work
📍 Meath applications: Meath County Council Arts Office and Louth County Council Arts Office announce the Age & Opportunity Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Award 2026 | Meath.ie
📧 Queries: artsfunding@meathcoco.ie
📍 Louth applications: Age & Opportunity Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Award 2026 – The Arts Service of Louth County Council
🕓 Deadline: Friday 12 June 2026, 1pm
Equality, Human Rights and Inclusion
Age & Opportunity welcomes applications from all communities and strongly encourages artists from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller Community, or socioeconomic background.
We are delighted to work with our partners across Kilkenny, Meath and Louth to support artists in this meaningful way and look forward to seeing the creativity and connections that will emerge from these residencies.
