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News | 16 June 2025
Sport Ireland’s Development Conference 2025
In May Dublin City Council Sport & Wellbeing Partnership and Dublin City Council Culture Company were invited to share learning from our Creative Residency in Art and Sport at Sport Ireland’s Sport Development Conference 2025.
The conference brings together over 300 sports development officers from across Ireland, whose work is primarily focused on working to develop a specific sport, and/or to create participation opportunities for target groups including disadvantaged communities, ethnic minorities, women and girls, and people with a disability.
Creative Residencies encourage makers and experts to pilot new reciprocal partnerships with organisations. By bringing creative people and organisations together, and by connecting through culture and conversations, we will develop and share new ways of working.
At the event, Colin Sharkey, acting Co Coordinator for the Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership, Dublin City Council; Catherine O'Donnell, Head of Creative Engagement, Dublin City Council Culture Company; and artist Sharon Kelly discussed how art and culture can have a positive impact on sports participation and remove barriers to access.
We shared how this innovative approach has developed participation in both sport and art for people who might normally think it’s ’not for them’.
“I had the opportunity to embrace the importance of the sport in my life, be aware of the need of a supportive network to create and to combine it with my current artistic practice, making this relationship with sports way bigger than before, and keep connecting with people through art and movement.”
- Karen Aguiar, artist and gymnast
We also displayed a small exhibition of work from the residencies, including artwork developed for Counterpunch, a creative residency made with women boxers and their coaches from Corinthians Boxing Club and artist Sharon Kelly. This gave us the opportunity to discuss the programme in more detail with delegates.
Reviewing the talk, Sport for Business described the programme as:
“a bold reimagining of how cities can nurture creativity, community, and wellbeing. It demonstrated the richness that emerges when the boundaries between sectors dissolve, allowing for new narratives and shared experiences to take shape.
Dublin City Council’s support of such an initiative is a model for cultural innovation with real social impact.”
Our presentation highlighted the importance of the partnership between Dublin City Council Sports Section and the Culture Company - bringing together expertise in sports and cultural participation to co-develop the programme. The residencies developed an increased sense of community within sports clubs and centres, and new participation in both sport and art for people who might normally think it’s ’not for them’. Sportspeople also brought new creativity to their sports:
“It showed me to be more creative. I suppose, especially in the ring, it’s just about creativity which I probably didn’t realise before”
- Nicole O’Sullivan, boxer
.The Creative Residency in Art and Sport is a partnership between Dublin City Council Sports Section and Dublin City Council Culture Company. Previously the partnership appointed five artists in residence across different forms of sports in clubs across the city.
Our current Residency programme provides an opportunity for four artists to work in residence at a Dublin City Council community sports or recreation centres and will run until July, Since September 2024, we have worked with 37 community groups to run 89 creative workshops with 1198 participants.