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News, How we work | 28 August 2026
How we work: What we’re learning from the people who take part
The evaluation of our work plays an important role in how we understand where cultural activity happens for people, how they find information so they can participate in culture and creativity and how they experience their participation in culture.
We continuously gather and measure qualitative and quantitative feedback and data on our programmes and buildings. It allows us to understand what’s working and where we can improve, making sure that our work remains relevant, meaningful and impactful for everyone who makes and participates in culture. Our evaluation process is active and continuous.
Evaluation of our work from January to July 2026
In this period January to July 2026, we welcomed 40,318 visitors, participants and audience members across our programming and buildings.
We worked with 94 artists, cultural practitioners and historians to deliver our programme of guided tours, 726 workshops and 302 hosted talks and events.
13% of participants at our creative workshops were attending something like this for the first time and 93% of all participants said they were interested in trying something like this again.
Over the summer period we added a wide range of summer camps for children of all ages along with our regular Culture Connects programming at Richmond Barracks. We also provided tailored creative workshops for youth and community groups including City of Dublin FET Foundations Project, YMCA Youth Group, Inchicore Primary School and Hill Street Family Resource Centre.
We worked in collaboration with Dublin City Council in providing programming into summer camps in Oliver Bond, Bridgefoot Street and Islandbridge Summer Project. We worked with Inchicore for All and Spirasi to ensure that as many children as possible had access to cultural experience and creative expression. We partnered with the Solas Hospital School at Crumlin Hospital to provide a three-week summer programme of workshops for children receiving inpatient care.
14 Henrietta Street welcomed over 25,000 people on its guided tours alongside the Teatime Talks, monthly programme of curated talks. Our Historian in Residence programme including our Historian in Residence for Children delivered 64 workshops and 97 events across the city during this period.
With our Culture Club programme we delivered 169 events in partnership with 32 partners from the City’s national cultural institutions, cultural festivals and organisations introducing over 3,000 to their work and collections. Through our programmes and buildings we have worked in partnership with 95 cultural organisations and community groups to develop cultural participation and increased access to culture.
Richmond Barracks welcomed 26,660 people to this cultural community space of a garden, library and cultural programme We organised two Fairs in April and June supporting 37 creative, craft and artisanal food producers.
We have received feedback from 1,977 visitors, audience members, participants, cultural and community partners.
Through our online surveys, and in person feedback, we are consistently listening to what you tell us of your experiences, what we are doing well and how we can improve. We have captured many programmatic action points which we are examining - these include suggestions on repeating events, varying timings and scheduling to suit people’s daily lives, new ideas for programme content. We also share your feedback with our cultural partners and in our ongoing programme development meetings with them.
In response to your ongoing feedback on capacity in our programmes, we have paid close attention to attendance, cancellations and availability and whilst very busy, we have approximately 17% capacity in our Culture Club and Culture Connects programmes. This allows us to identify events where we have capacity and work with participants to suggest new cultural experiences for them to try.
Now I feel more comfortable to come back.‐ Culture Club participant after attending a tour in Tailte Éireann
Culture Club is a great way to reconnect you with a city that you never really knew in the first place‐ Culture Club participant after attending a tour in Edward Worth Library
I really liked the setup of the museum, the knowledgeable guide and very nice videos, which also helped my mother understand everything, even if she’s not the most proficient in English.‐ 14 Henrietta Street visitor
I would just like to thank the organisers and staff for their hard work and support. The event was very well organised, and I truly enjoyed being part of it. I appreciate the welcoming atmosphere, I had a great experience and would be delighted to participate again in the future.‐ Richmond Barracks Fair vendor
I love all the interaction from people, everyone is so positive and friendly. It is always such a stress free environment and the staff are very friendly and helpful.‐ Culture Connects @ Richmond Barracks participant
I learned a lot about the history of Dublin in a fun way‐ Teatime Talk audience member
I really appreciate all the team is doing to give us feedback on what appeals to their members and how we can improve what events to profile, so that's all really useful.
We very much welcome the commitment, professionalism, support and dedication of Culture Club to offering opportunities for diverse groups to engage with and enjoy our programmes.
I think that it is a great initiative to get local people going to cultural sites across Ireland. We have noticed repeat visitors to Culture Club, and those that have gone to Culture Club, then come to the Museum for other events and tours
We have also included in 2026 asking for feedback on how far people are travelling to attend our events and activities and how they travel with 47% of respondents using public transport and 27% walking, with 36% citing travel distances of over 6km.
We are looking at how this evolves with more specific neighbourhood and location based programming such as the upcoming Dublin Festival of History which will programme across all five local areas of the city and incorporate the Dublin City Libraries network.
Your feedback is important to us and helps us create stronger and deeper cultural connections across the City.