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LOCAL ARTS: Route 66 Big Band

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Route 66 Big Band are delighted to make a very welcome return to the Riverbank bringing their unique mix of music which has proved a huge success in theatres all over Ireland. Fronted by a male and female singer the 14 piece Band, with a mix of brass, saxes and rhythm, produces a fabulous sound

€18 – €20

SUMMER CAMP: BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation Workshop

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

In this special BrickFlicks Stop Motion Animation Camp, learn all the basics of how to animate in stop motion using your favourite LEGO character. Shoot spells, fight superheroes, blast rockets or fall through portals, use your imagination to make your very own movies. With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, Createschool will take you on

€120

YOUTH THEATRE: Kildare Youth Theatre Presents The Leaving by Tom Swift

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Kildare Youth Theatre presents The Leaving by Tom Swift, a play about the impact of excessive drinking in a group of teenagers at a pivotal stage in their lives. Directed by Sinead Mooney.   This play contains sexual references, and mild swear words, so discretion is advised.

€8

VISUAL ART: Our Place

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Our Place playfully explores themes of happiness, human rights, and a sense of belonging by transforming the McKenna Gallery at Riverbank Arts Centre into a friendly multi-sensory environment through an electric combination of sound art, storytelling, tactile lighting, touchable sculptures and comfy seating for everyone to enjoy. A soundscape will play through a system of

Admission Free

WORKSHOP: Creative Writing Summer Camp with Emma-Jane Leeson

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join the author of the popular The Adventures of Johnny Magory series, Emma-Jane Leeson for a Creative Writing Summer Camp for 7-13 year olds. Learn how to write your own book in this 5 day camp. The camp will help students to develop their writing skills and to explore their love of writing in a fun,

€120

YOUTH THEATRE: Mouth Off

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Mouth Off is an international youth theatre project between Crooked House and FOCO, Spain. It is funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. Twenty-four young people will spend one week working together to explore how to use various theatre methods in the service of making theatre to challenge hate speech and fake news.

Free event, booking necessary

Super Paua Stories – Audio Installation

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Fáilte! Witamy! Bem-vindo! Welcome! Step into a world of stories at this multilingual audio installation for young people ages 9+. Grab a pair of headphones, get comfy and choose a story- each one will transport you to another world, another language, another culture. All stories can be understood by English speakers with phrases and words

Admission Free

Run of the Mill Presents Connections

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

An evening with Run of the Mill I listen I see The past it's in me There's a lot of connections Award winning inclusive arts organisation Run of the Mill presents an evening of screenings to celebrate our recent work platforming artists with intellectual disabilities in Kildare and beyond. Incorporating the world premiere screening of Connections, a new poetry

free, booking essential

Fighting Words Morning with Roddy Doyle

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

We are hosting an introduction to Fighting Words at Riverbank Arts Centre with co-founder and former Chairman, Roddy Doyle. Fighting Words is a free creative writing programme co-founded by Roddy Doyle and Seán Love in January 2009. It operates on the premise that creative writing is an essential part of every child’s education: that giving

free, booking essential

Asteroid City

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

America, 1955. A grieving photographer and his four children find themselves stranded in the remote Asteroid City after their car breaks down. They’re soon joined by dozens of people who’ve arrived for the final of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention. However, a dramatic development during a rare astronomical phenomenon leaves the visitors stuck together in

€7 – €9

406 Days: The Debenhams Picket Line

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

The Incredible story of the Debenhams Ireland Picket Line. On April 9th, 2020, nearly 1,000 Irish Debenhams workers, most of them women, received a generic email telling them they were being made redundant. So began the longest-ever Irish industrial dispute in Ireland. The workers remained on the picket lines, through the Covid-19 pandemic, for 406

€7 – €9

THEATRE: The Ballad of Mossy Flood

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Mossy Flood has a knack of going the long way around a story. In so doing, he makes us laugh and examine ourselves in a way we haven’t done before. He might be an unsociable odd-ball with a big thick head, but his wrestle with the everyday is pure gold. He will always land on

€16 – €18

FAMILY: Joe the Magician Presents It’s Magic!

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Joe the Magician is back! Yes, it's Joe from RTÉjr’s abraKIDabra and Dizzy Deliveries He’s back to Riverbank with his brand-new show It’s Magic! All new impossible magic and illusion that will have children all ages roaring laughing one minute and in complete awe the next. The show fuses magic, music, special effects and illusion that

€15 – €55
Recurring

Fighting Words for Secondary School

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants. Upcoming Fighting Words Workshops for Secondary School: Monday 18th September, 10:30am Monday 2nd October, 10:30am Monday 16th October, 10:30am Monday 6th November, 10:30am

Free

La Syndicaliste

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

La Syndicaliste tells the extraordinary real-life story of Irish woman Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert), a senior trade union representative-turned-whistle-blower in a French nuclear power company. Maureen’s efforts to expose top-secret deals met with fierce resistance from powerful people. Her life was turned upside down when she was violently assaulted in her own home - made

€7 – €9
Recurring

Music & Sensory Play with Catherine Hartnett

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Music and sensory play class for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years and parents in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Toddlers will be given the opportunity to learn through music, movement and play, and explore different textures and sounds. This class, led by music teacher Catherine Hartnett promotes adult-child interaction as well as interactions between

€10

Music Network Presents Oscailt – a new commission by Jennifer Walshe

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Open your mind and see the world through the eyes of our digital natives. An extraordinary multi-media composition for sound and video by the amazing force of nature that is vocalist, improviser and composer Jennifer Walshe. Imagine a place where a phone tower is planted next to a holy well, where Facebook employees at the

€15 – €18
Recurring

Paul Curley & Draíocht Present Grey Matter

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A new play for young audiences by Paul Curley and Ger Clancy A scientist.  A parrot.  A lifelong friendship. Grey Matter explores the joyful relationship between a boy and his pet (African Grey) parrot as they  journey through life together, experiencing the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Performer and writer Paul Curley in

€6

CULTURE NIGHT: Super Paua Listening Party

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Cześć, fáilte isteach, bem-vindo! Join us for a series of listening parties- where a story meets a creative workshop. We will listen to stories and make our own together. These events are a part of the Super Paua Stories audio installation in our Children’s Gallery. 5:30pm Klosz Listening Party- We will start with a bilingual listening

Free, booking advised

CULTURE NIGHT: Drop-In Exhibition Tours

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

This Culture Night, join us for an evening of Visual Art, with Virtual and Augmented Realities; an immersive experience into Gavin Casey’s art exhibition SOUND | CODE | IMAGE. It will be a multi-sensory experience for all ages. Highly encouraged for anyone looking to learn more about the overlap between art and the digital realm!

Free, drop-in
Recurring

Paul Curley and Draíocht Present Grey Matter

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A new play for young audiences by Paul Curley and Ger Clancy. A scientist.  A parrot.  A lifelong friendship. Grey Matter explores the joyful relationship between a boy and his pet (African Grey) parrot as they  journey through life together, experiencing the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Performer and writer Paul Curley in

€10

Paul Curley and Draíocht Present Grey Matter

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A new play for young audiences by Paul Curley and Ger Clancy. A scientist.  A parrot.  A lifelong friendship. Grey Matter explores the joyful relationship between a boy and his pet (African Grey) parrot as they  journey through life together, experiencing the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Performer and writer Paul Curley in

€10

COMEDY: How to Get the Menopause & Enjoy It

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Anne Gildea is waxing her moustache, slathering on the Oestrogel and boiling with excitement about bringing her fabulous hit show back to Riverbank Arts Centre! How to Get The Menopause and Enjoy It has been wowing audiences and critics alike, and playing to packed house all over Ireland, since it’s sell-out launch last year. On Valentine’s

€22
Recurring

Fighting Words for Primary School

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants. Upcoming Fighting Words Workshops for Primary School: Monday 25th September, 10:30am Monday 9th October, 10:30am Monday 27th November, 10:30am Monday 11th December, 10:30am

Free

Chevalier

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

18th century France - Bologne, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, becoming part of Marie-Antoinette's royal inner circle. However, Bologne falls out of favour with the Dauphine and her court when he tries to become head

€7 – €9

Cassiopeia Winds

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Cassiopeia Winds is a group of five of Ireland’s top wind players committed to sharing their passion for the superb wind quintet repertoire with audiences throughout Ireland. The players inspire and refresh their audiences by their infectious enthusiasm for the music they are playing. Member of the group introduce each piece in the programme, engaging

€15 – €18

THEATRE: Fishamble The New Play Company Presents King

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A new play written and performed​by Pat Kinevane KING tells the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Baw’s hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.  Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator.  The play explores prejudice, privilege, and resilience, as

€20 – €22
Recurring

I See You Like This – Photo Portrait Making

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Ever wondered how you look through a child’s eyes? Are you whacky and wonderful, or a little spikey and colourful? Join Aussie artist Jessica Wilson, as she facilitates a weekend of photo-portrait-making where your child is pulling the shots! With a child centred vision, I See You Like This invites each child to art direct

€5

Andy Irvine & Dónal Lunny

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Two giants of the Irish trad scene, Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny are uniting for an evening of great music, a mixture of traditional songs, and originals composed by Andy. Between them, Irvine and Lunny have been at the helm of legendary bands like Sweeney’s Men, Planxty, The Bothy Band, Mozaik, LAPD and recently Usher’s

€28

Into the Deep: Stories of exploring the underwater world of the North Atlantic with Ken O’Sullivan 

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Ken O’Sullivan talks about his life and experiences as an underwater cameraman, documentary filmmaker and ocean conservationist in Ireland’s Atlantic waters. From freediving with blue whales, the largest animal ever to have lived, to filming sharks, dolphins, and the magical underwater world around Ireland and his family’s 250-year history on Fenit Island, Co. Kerry.  Ken

€10 – €17

I See You Like This – Drop-In Photo Portrait Making

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Ever wondered how you look through a child’s eyes? Are you whacky and wonderful, or a little spikey and colourful? Join Aussie artist Jessica Wilson, as she facilitates a weekend of photo-portrait-making where your child is pulling the shots! With a child centred vision, I See You Like This invites each child to art direct

Free Event
Recurring

Fighting Words for Secondary School

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants. Upcoming Fighting Words Workshops for Secondary School: Monday 18th September, 10:30am Monday 2nd October, 10:30am Monday 16th October, 10:30am Monday 6th November, 10:30am

Free

An Tolg Liteartha

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Mórimeacht liteartha na Gaeilge ag a gcuirfidh an sárchraoltóir, Tristan Rosenstock (RTÉ), agallamh ar bhuaiteoirí na nGradam Foilsitheoireachta 2023 - Gradam Réics Carló (Leabhar na Bliana don Léitheoir Óg); Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin (Leabhar na Bliana don Léitheoir Fásta); agus Gradam de Bhaldraithe (Leabhar na Bliana do Shaothar Aistrithe go Gaeilge ó theanga eile). Mar chuid den ócáid, labhróidh Tristan leis na criticeoirí

Free event

KILDARE READERS’ FESITVAL – Chat LGBT: A Question of Queer Irish Literature

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Katherine O’Donnell (Slant) and Declan Toohey (Perpetual Comedown) discuss and read from their debut novels which were published this year and add to the growing canon of queer Irish literature. Slant by Katherine O’Donnell is a ground-breaking Irish lesbian love story, set across the decades from the 1980s AIDS crisis to the 2015 marriage referendum.

Free, booking advised

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL – Creeping It Real: The Rebirth of Female Horror

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join us for an evening with Sophie White and Rick O’Shea as they discuss Sophie’s writing. Sophie’s novel Where I End has recently won the Shirley Jackson Award which recognises “outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.” Where I End is a story of psychological and physical horror with a shattering

free, booking essential

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL -Ten Books with Eithne Hand and Gerry Stembridge

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join us for the ever popular Ten Books You Should Read! Our two guests, Eithne Hand and Gerry Stembridge will select five books each that they would recommend and delve into the stories to illustrate why we should give them a try. ISL/Irish Sign Language interpretation will be available for this event.

free, booking essential

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL – The Deadwood Encore with Kathleen Murray and Ed O’Loughlin

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join acclaimed short story author, Kathleen Murray as she discusses her first novel, published by Harper Collins in 2022 and described as ‘the Coen Brothers of Carlow’ with author, journalist & correspondent Ed O’Loughlin. The Deadwood Encore tells the story of Frank Whelan, a seventh son of a seventh son, and his journey of self-discovery.

free, booking essential

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL – Tangled Webs – Book Launch with Maria McDonald

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join us for the launch of Maria McDonald’s new novel Tangled Webs. Jane Best and Agnes Williams are known in Belfast for taking in lodgers at Riverdale House, the business they started together after losing their husbands in the Anglo-Zulu War. For forty years, they’ve welcomed young women in need of a respectable place to

Free event

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL – Poor: Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join Katriona O’Sullivan and a guest for a discussion on Katriona’s book Poor. Poor is a memoir describing the impact of childhood poverty.  Katriona's story recounts her journey from poverty, teenage pregnancy, homelessness to graduating with a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and becoming an award-winning lecturer whose work challenges barriers to education. Poor is her stirring argument for the importance of giving hope, practical

free, booking essential

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL – Sunday Morning Session: Judith Mok & Michael O’Loughlin in conversation with Dermot Bolger

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Writer and soprano, Judith Mok was born in Holland and studied at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. She has toured the world as a classical soprano, moving to Dublin in 2002, where she is a leading voice coach working with noted singers from the classical and pop worlds. Her books include the novels De Beul (2000) and Gael (2006),

free, booking essential
Recurring

Fighting Words for Primary School

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge is the Kildare Partner of Fighting Words. We present creative writing workshops for primary and secondary schools. Fighting Words workshops are always free of charge to the participants. Upcoming Fighting Words Workshops for Primary School: Monday 25th September, 10:30am Monday 9th October, 10:30am Monday 27th November, 10:30am Monday 11th December, 10:30am

Free

Beau is Afraid

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Beau Wasserman lives in a constant state of paranoia and anxiety. He plans to visit his mother, but disappoints her when he misses his flight. When his mother is then killed in a freak accident, Beau scrambles to make the funeral. However, he keeps encountering strange and treacherous obstacles - beginning with a chaotic home

€7 – €9
Recurring

Humans: A Robot Musical

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

The seventh best musical robot group in the world - well, they were fifth but it went to their heads - are making a NEW musical. It’s going to be performed to all robots everywhere and it’s going to explain what Humans are. Everything will be fine, they just need some answers. Meanwhile 10 year

€6

WhistleBlast: Petrushka & More for Schools Galore!

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

By Igor Stravinsky Arranged by Conor Linehan Nationwide multimedia performance of a fantastic and famous symphonic classic plus other great repertoire to give young secondary school students an introduction to incredibly moving composed live music in a highly accessible concert. Art and music linked together to tap in on young people’s imaginations to encourage an

€30

The Ennio Morricone Experience

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

This recital highlights Ennio Morricone’s masterpieces and brings the listener on a wonderful journey in celebration of the Maestro’s great contribution to Italian & International music and to the world of film. Accompanying his wonderful pieces, The Ennio Morricone Experience will also perform compositions by the musicians that inspired him, and his fellow Italian composers

€20 – €22