Branar Meitheal

Meitheal / Seeds & Sow / Nurture & Grow / Harvest & Show

A Branar Initiative, supported by The Arts Council of Ireland Creative Production Services Award.

A dynamic support initiative for artists and producers creating work for young audiences across the performing arts disciplines.

Through bespoke individual supports and carefully curated collective development opportunities, Branar Meitheal builds a community of artists and producers with the knowledge, skills, experience and connections that enable them to sustain a career developing and presenting high-quality work for children and young people in venues and settings across Ireland and internationally.

How we work is as important as what we do. As a Branar programme, Branar Meitheal lives its values: ‘brave in our choices, strong in shaping quality arts for children, generous in how we work, playful in our approach & true to who we are.

The next iteration of Branar Meitheal commences in June 2025 supported by The Arts Council of Ireland.

About Branar Meitheal

Branar Meitheal’s Purpose

To advance the development of high-quality work for children and young people in Ireland by understanding and engendering the knowledge, culture and conditions that best enable it.

Branar Meitheal’s Vision

A future where work for children and young people is flourishing, unquestionably valued and cultivated within a sustainable eco-system.

Branar Meitheal’s Mission

Through bespoke individual supports and carefully curated collective development opportunities we will build a community of artists and producers with the knowledge, skills, experience and connections that enable them to sustain a career developing and presenting high-quality work for children and young people in venues and settings across Ireland and internationally.

Branar Meitheal's Objectives

- To enhance the confidence and capability of participating artists and producers to have a sustainable career producing high-quality work for young audiences with appropriate resources and supporting structures.

- To build a diverse and inclusive community of creative professionals with the expertise and relationships to deliver productions for young audiences across the performing arts disciplines.

- To understand and enhance the capacity of partner venues to receive and present work for young audiences.

- To support the development, presentation and touring of work for young audiences.

- To facilitate international exchange to explore models of practice and build enabling connections.

Branar Meitheal’s Values

Brave in our choices, strong in championing quality arts for children, generous in how we work, playful in our approach and true to who we are

Branar Meitheal’s Partners

The meitheal of venues, festivals and funders we brought together.

The Arts Council of Ireland
The Ark, Dublin
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Galway
Belfast Children’s Festival, Belfast
Draíocht, Blanchardstown
Mermaid Arts Centre, Wicklow
Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon
Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar
Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge
Backstage Theatre, Longford
Galway City Council
Galway County Council
Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Druid, Galway
Irish Theatre Institute
University of Galway
Luail, Ireland’s National Dance Company
Starcatchers, Edinburgh, Scotland
Imaginate, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Egg, Bath, England
Catherine Wheels, Edinburgh, Scotland
Irish Arts Centre, New York, USA
Polka Theatre, London, England

Why Branar Meitheal Works

The independent evaluation of Branar Meitheal's 2021-2023 pilot identified seven key factors which contributed to the success of the programme and its impact for participants.

You can read more about the participants of this pilot initiative here.

#1 The vision and generosity of Branar, as the parent company, bringing credibility and connections to the initiative, in national and international contexts, and imbuing it with a clear set of values.

#2 The deep sectoral knowledge, commitment, credibility, and positive personal qualities of the programme managers.

#3 The well-considered curation of a durational programme that provided opportunities in Ireland and, importantly, outside of Ireland, for participants to experience other work and ways of working; to meet and engage with leading professionals; and to build a community of peers and a network of professional connections.

#4 The collegial relationship with programme partners of high-standing, and the mutually beneficial opportunities created for partners and participants through those relationships.

#5 The creation of a safe, confidential space, where participants could be vulnerable and also feel empowered, no longer isolated in their work or ambitions.

#6 A commitment to formal and informal processes of review and evaluation, with an openness to change and improvement that ensured participants got the most out of Meitheal and Meitheal was at its best for participants.

#7 Finally, and definitively, the pastoral care that accompanied the bespoke professional support given. As a programme of creative production support, Meitheal supported creative people first.