A nationwide radio campaign developed by IRS+,the audio intelligence and creative network, is helping to promote this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg, which takes place across Ireland this weekend on Saturday, June 6.
The campaign was created by IRS+ and developed in collaboration with its strategic partner FOE, working alongside Cruinniú na nÓg and media agency Spark Foundry, part of Core.
The campaign showcases the combination of creative content production and local community engagement that IRS+ says is unique to its network of 15 independent local radio stations.
Now in its ninth year, Cruinniú na nÓg encourages children, young people and families to participate in a wide range of free creative activities, from workshops and tutorials to recitals, performances and readings in cities, towns and villages across Ireland.
The activity had two objectives: encouraging children and young people to submit creative works inspired by their imagination and raising awareness of the hundreds of events taking place nationwide as part of the festival.
At the centre of the campaign was a series of three 60-second content pieces broadcast across the IRS+ network. The features included a child actor reading a creative submission, an interview with Waterford Walls ambassador Megan Hogan discussing the impact of the initiative, and content explaining the significance of Cruinniú na nÓg as Ireland’s national day dedicated to the creative potential of young people.
A third feature saw presenters on local radio stations reading submissions received from children and young people around the country. Each piece was adapted with locally recorded introductions and sign-offs voiced by presenters from the network’s 15 stations.
The campaign extended beyond radio through the installation of specially designed colourful post boxes in 31 libraries nationwide. Created by FOE, the post boxes provided a physical space for children and young people to submit poems, letters and other creative works.
A dedicated website also acted as a central information hub for events taking place around the country and enabled online submissions.
Sheila Deegan, spokesperson for Cruinniú na nÓg and the Creative Ireland Programme at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, said the initiative provides an open invitation for people under 18 to engage in a broad range of free creative activities.
“As an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme, Cruinniú na nÓg is an open invitation for children and young people under 18 to participate in a programme of fun, free, creative activities,” she said.
“These include everything from graffiti art workshops to stop-motion animation, coding and architecture workshops. The capacity to bring such a big national day to life required an imaginative approach and nationwide local broadcast reach that made IRS+ the obvious partner for our ambitions.”
Peter Smith, CEO of IRS+, said the partnership reflected the strengths of both organisations.
“We’re delighted to have an opportunity to work with Cruinniú na nÓg on such a well-established, high-profile event that celebrates two of our strongest capabilities — creativity and direct access to local communities throughout the country,” he said.
Ireland remains the only country in the world to dedicate an entire national day to celebrating and nurturing the creativity of children and young people.
Further information and event listings are available through the official Cruinniú na nÓg website.
