Skills Exchange Member Has Beautiful Cregg Castle Arts Venue
One of our newest skills exchange members has developed an incredible venue in a castle in County Galway. It’s a great opportunity for members to join a team of like – minded Artists and become one of the key people to transform this beautiful Castle into an arts venue as well as a creative environment to live and work.
The castle is now in need of some loving care mainly cleaning and redecorating. The aim is, as a team, to work for a full week on the accommodation areas and then move into the main common rooms. This work will allow them to get a great start.
The rent per week ranges from €100 – 120 inclusive of utility bills with each artist volunteering to work one day per week on the venue.
Each artist will have a medium to large comfortable bedroom with an en-suite or shared bathroom between two. Bedrooms will be heated by your own rocket stove. Communal areas include a large internal studio with store and coffee room, a lounge, the large kitchen/dining room, living rooms, music room and then a presentation/workshop/film room. The rent agreement ranges to reflect the rooms. Each artist will also have an external personal (stable) workshop. Bills included in the rent are; electricity, TV, Wi-Fi and an Insurance policy for all our artwork. Firewood for heating is available on the property. We hope to grow our own vegetable garden with in the one acre wall garden.
The venue also encompasses a large Gallery and Gallery/ Office. The plan is to host resident group exhibitions, external/internal workshops and events. It will be open to the public from Thursday – Sunday each week. A 20% commission will apply on sales from the gallery which will be invested back into the venue.
There are also stand alone outhouse studios for rent without accommodation.
The Gallery website will promote the resident artists which will also have links to each of their personal sites.
If you want to get involved email Alan Murray
Here’s the lowdown on the castle;
It dates back to the 17th Century and is located on approximately 180 acres of land just nine miles from Galway City close to the little village of Corrandulla.
Cregg Castle is a historical property, having been built by the Clement Kirwin Family in 1648, later inherited by the renowned Chemist, Richard Kirwin in 1754. Remains of his laboratory are still in the Orchard. There is a Queen Anne Bell Tower in the Courtyard, and also a lovely Chapel within the Castle. After the Kirwins, Cregg Castle was owned by the Blake Family, another of the Great Tribes of Galway.
Cregg Castle is one of the last, if not actually the last of the ” Fortified Mansions” built in Ireland the entire building is an interesting display of three centuries of advancement in fortified building. It is located in rural splendour on about 180 acres of magical woodland, meadow and pasture. There is also a spring well and a river meanders through part of the land.
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