Nuacht
Nuacht | 23 Meán Fómhair 2025
Tea and Chats: A cultural connection with Hill Street Family Resource Centre
Tea & Chats is our ongoing programme of informal and open conversations over a cup of tea with people about what matters to them.
In a Tea & Chat session, people come together in a casual and informal setting to share their thoughts and ideas about the city, their local area and their communities.
We believe that culture and conversation can bring people together and make communities stronger. When people feel connected, they feel healthier, safer, and more confident. We want to listen, explore and learn about what’s important to the people of Dublin, to understand what matters to them. By listening and connecting, we can build relationships, collaborate and suggest ways for people to explore the city’s culture.
The Tea & Chats programme has consulted with the people of Dublin through ongoing conversations across the city for the past 10 years, with close to 10,000 people in community groups taking part.
First contacts
Through our Tea & Chats programme, we have developed a relationship with Hill Street Family Resource Centre (FRC) over a number of years and we have connected with many of the families that use the centre. In February 2025, we were delighted to be invited to meet the new Parent Café Group for a Tea & Chats session, continuing our ongoing conversations with people who call Dublin home.
After being introduced to the current participants and learning about their day to day lives, there were initial discussions about what living in Dublin and the city centre area meant to them.
The conversation also explored what activities outside of Hill Street FRC the participants and their families enjoyed or were interested in, such as going to activity centres or gallery spaces.
‘’The kids are so small, they won’t understand the artworks when you bring them in. At the same time I want to make sure they see art and get to know different places. It is important to introduce them at a young age to culture, museums, and galleries.”
Most members of the group told us that it is not always easy to find out about what cultural activities are on offer in the city. Parents agreed that it can be challenging to keep their children busy, and find activities.
Collectively, the group expressed a strong interest in discovering and trying new things in Dublin, including exploring more indoor and outdoor places, as well as learning more about the city’s history. They were interested in activities both for themselves and for shared experiences with their children.
The parents were excited to learn more about the Culture Company and the wide range of cultural activities, workshops, and events available. They expressed strong interest in these opportunities and asked for our guidance on how they could get involved.
Building on the learnings from the Tea & Chats session, we introduced the group to some new cultural activities. The group was accompanied throughout by our Engagement Coordinator, providing continuity and a warm welcome at each activity. These visits not only introduced them to new cultural experiences but also helped to encourage the group’s confidence in exploring culture in new ways themselves across the city.
The Parent Café Group came on a guided tour of the museum 14 Henrietta Street. For many, it was their first time in the museum, and they were fascinated by the tour and by learning about the history of the house. The group also shared personal stories and experiences that were similar from their own backgrounds, drawing parallels with lives in Poland, Morocco, China and other parts of the world.
“It’s crazy to see that people living in Dublin were facing some of the same problems we face now more than 100 years ago. There were many facts that I didn’t know about life in Dublin in the past. I loved seeing all the different rooms and periods.”
Following this, the group went on a walking tour, led by our Dublin Central Area Historian in Residence, Elizabeth Kehoe. Elizabeth created a special journey from Hill Street through the north inner city’s Georgian quarter, sharing the stories behind historical buildings and their cultural significance.
The feedback from the guided tour was very positive. The experience gave the group a strong sense of connection to their neighbourhood and encouraged them to continue their own cultural journey and discoveries.
“I found the tour so interesting! I learned loads about the area… like the underground tunnel. I’ve been living in Dublin for 18 years and I didn’t know most of the things Elizabeth told us.”
The group was eager to continue exploring the city and to discover new places they could enjoy with their children. We suggested that they might like to go to Richmond Barracks and visit the garden there.
Little Gardeners
Richmond Barracks in Inchicore is home to a library, workshop spaces and also a garden. Here, the parents and their children met with our resident gardener Polly Rowley-Sams and took part in a gardening workshop.
After introductions and a guided tour of the facilities, the group explored the gardens, looking for insects, picking flowers and had fun creating together.
Families were happy travelling across the city to discover a new place where they could create and learn together. Staff members from Hill Street FRC came along and built new connections with the team at Richmond Barracks. The experience opened up possibilities for further engagement. Many of the parents expressed an interest in returning for fairs, summer camps and to experience more of the Culture Connects programme.
‘’We were delighted to finally make it out here, and my son would like to come back for the Summer camps. Thank you for the chance to find out what’s on here.’’
“We live so close to Richmond Barracks, but we never knew this place was here. It’s a great resource.”
This engagement with the Hill Street FRC Parent Café Group is just one example of the many connections we develop with communities across Dublin through our Tea & Chats programme. We look forward to making new connections and welcoming more groups to have conversations with us about what matters to them.
If you, or a group you belong to, are interested in participating in a Tea & Chat and being part of ongoing city-wide conversation we would love to hear from you.