Culture Night Events at MTU
Culture Night is a national celebration of arts and culture, taking place across Ireland in September each year.
Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is brought to you by the Arts Council. It is a national moment, celebrating culture, creativity and the arts, and seeks to actively promote the belief that this rich and varied culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in people’s lives, today and every day. It is delivered nationwide in cities, towns, villages and rural locations as well as online and through our media partners. MTU is delighted to present a series of events and activities for Culture Night 2026, taking place in venues and spaces across the Southwest region on our campuses in Cork and Kerry and with partner organisations.
Culture Night at MTU - Friday September 18th 2026
MTU is an arts-rich technological University and has an exciting programme of activities on September 18th as part of the national Culture Night celebrations, developed, presented and performed by our staff, students, alumni, and creative partners.
With a 6-campus footprint across the Southwest region and projects also taking place in partner venues there is a lot to choose from... Music, performance, astronomy, art as activism, workshops, engagement, creative conversations, visual art, film, STEAM, campus tours and concerts.
Bígí Linn!
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PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES:
MTU Bishopstown Campus, Cork
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What: SEE – Student Engagement Exhibition
Where: James Barry Exhibition Centre, MTU Bishopstown Campus, Cork, T12 P928
When: Friday 18th September
Times: 16:00 – 20:00
SEE, the MTU Student Engagement Exhibition 2026, is a graduate award exhibition selected by MTU Arts Office and student representatives, presenting artists and designers graduating from BA Hons programmes at MTU Crawford College of Art & Design who’s work addresses issues important to students and an evolving society.
The 14 selected artists are: Evan Bambrick (Fine Art), Killian Donovan (Visual Communications), Jess Hoare (Fine Art), Abigail McCarthy (Contemporary Applied Art), Caitlin McCarthy (Fine Art), Claire Murphy (Contemporary Applied Art), Lisa Newman (Contemporary Applied Art), Ella O'Sullivan (Fine Art), Thia Potter-Finn (Visual Communications), Sadhbh Ryan (Fine Art), Charlotte Shiels (Fine Art), Elton Sibanda (Fine Art), Aisling White (Contemporary Applied Art), and Ezra Williams (Contemporary Applied Art).
Nic Flanagan, artist and PhD candidate at MTU Crawford College of Art & Design, has curated the exhibition and interactions in collaboration with MTU Arts Office.
For Culture Night, the gallery will host short talks introducing the exhibition, and short practical workshops to engage with these artists and their stories. Details and booking will be announced on arts.mtu.ie
Meet the artists / Exhibition Tour
17.00 and 19.00
Introduction to the exhibition and the artists, with an opportunity to chat with some of them about their works.
Workshop: "Identity and Place"
Join artist Nic Flanagan in a short hands-on workshop exploring the exhibition themes and techniques through drawing and collage, and create small visual responses to take away.
MTU Art Collection Recent Acquisitions, and Arts Council Collection
The SEE exhibition will be accompanied by a selection of new and recent artworks from the MTU Art Collection in the corridor leading to the gallery, showcasing early career artists from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design and a group of works from the Arts Council Collection loan to MTU.
Image: Work by Tara Fitzgerald, MTU Registrar's Prize winner 2026, MTU Art Collection.
For further details, see arts.mtu.ie and MTU Arts Office social media.
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MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory
What: Culture Night at MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory
Where: MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory, Castle Rd., Blackrock, Cork City, T12 YW52
When: Friday 18th September
Times: 18:00 – 21:00
Join us at MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory for Culture Night as we celebrate all things astronomy and castle history related.
Presentations and Exhibits
Get a glimpse of the night sky with astronomy presentations by BCO staff.
Explore our exhibitions about heritage, space, and astronomy, featuring models of cultural and astronomical significance.
Lino Printing Workshops
BCO will host dedicated drop-in workshops from 6-9pm where visitors can craft their own space-themed lino prints to take home. These are fun family-friendly workshops.
Experience stargazing with BCO and Cork Astronomy Club
Explore the universe from the BCO courtyard with a live stargazing session, from 8pm*
Booking is not required, but presentations and workshops will be offered on a first-come-first served basis with limited capacity, so please arrive early.
*Please note that the astronomy session is subject to suitable weather conditions and may not proceed in the event of inclement weather.
Lino Printing Workshops are family friendly, and will be offered indoors.
Time: 6pm-9pm, with courtyard observing until 10pm.
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MTU Cork School of Music Campus
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What: Culture Night at MTU CSM - exhibition, building tours, showcases, and concerts.
Where: MTU Cork School of Music, Union Quay, Cork City, T12 E9HY.
When: Friday 18th September
Times: 16:00 – 22:00
To celebrate Culture Night 2026, MTU Cork School of Music plays host to an exciting programme of theatre, live music, and visual art, culminating in a special late-night performance by the Fleischmann Choir and Irish Project Ensemble.
For the latest information and further details, please visit csm.mtu.ie/culturenight
Building Tours - starting in ground floor foyer.
All Day - Exhibition - Siobhán Collins in PAUSE Gallery.
5:30 - Irish Freemasons Young Musicians Of The Year – recitals, Curtis Auditorium.
19:00 – 20:00 - Drama & Theatre showcase - Stack Theatre.
21:00 – 22:00 - Fleischmann Choir and Irish Project Ensemble, Curtis Auditorium.
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According To My Eyes, A Solo Exhibition by Siobhán Collins
16:00 - 22:00
Pause Gallery, Ground Floor
‘According to my Eyes’ is a solo exhibition by Siobhán Collins at MTU Cork School of Music. In this new body of work, paintings of familiar subjects hover between recognition and uncertainty, inviting viewers to linger and look again. The works draw attention to the physical act of painting as much as to what is represented.
Meet The Artist: 18:00 – 20:00
The artist will be present at the exhibition during Culture Night from 6-8pm.This is an opportunity to see the paintings and have a conversation about the work. The show is open daily, including weekends, up to 22 September 2026. All welcome.
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Irish Freemasons Young Musicians Of The Year
17:30 , Curtis Auditorium
Recent winners of the Irish Freemasons Musician Of The Year will perform a programme in the Curtis Auditorium.
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Drama & Theatre Showcase
19:00 – 20:00, Stack Theatre
A varied showcase of individual and ensemble performances, featuring recent graduates and current students of the BA in Theatre and Drama Studies degree at MTU Cork School of Music.
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Songs for Shelley
Fleischmann Choir and Irish Project Ensemble
21:00 - 22:00, Curtis Auditorium
Free but ticketed, tickets available in person from the box office on Culture Night from 19:00. All Ages
The Fleischmann Choir and Irish Project Ensemble join forces to present the second instalment of “Songs for Shelley”, a recital given in memory of Michèle de Foubert, a founding member of the choir for over thirty years. Featuring choral works by Mozart and Arvo Pärt, iconic jazz standards and newly commissioned arrangements, join us for what promises to be an unforgettable musical experience.
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MTU Crawford College of Art & Design Campus
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What: Culture Night at 46 Grand Parade with Exhibitions, Films, Workshops and more.
Where: 46 Grand Parade, Cork City, T12 VN56
Times: 16:00 – 20:45
MTU Crawford College of Art & Design (CCAD) hosts exhibitions, workshops, performances, films, engagements, and more by MTU alumni, students, and staff at our iconic 19th century building at 46 Grand Parade, Cork City, T12 VN56, so do make Culture Night @ 46 Grand Parade a place to stop during your 2026 Culture Night Trail.
4-8:45pm
MTU Gallery at 46 Grand Parade hosts an exhibition of works from the MTU Art Collection - Titled Selected Works. The MTU Art Collection focusses on supporting graduating students from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design through acquisitions of artworks in a broad range of media, and now includes over 650 artworks acquired over the last 3 decades. For more details and to view the full Collection visit the MTU Art & Culture Website arts.mtu.ie
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The Micro Gallery, our unique street-facing project space, will host a site responsive exhibition by MA Art & Engagement Alumni.
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Crawford Supported Studios
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Crawford Supported Studio's artist Bríd Heffernan’s latest work brings her original, hand-drawn storyboards to life through stop-motion film. Through her detailed illustrations and self-written script, Bríd explores the visual language of camp, 80’s horror with a nostalgic flair. She transforms her illustrated figures by centring them within highly curated, theatrical environments - a captivating and often comedic interplay between character, soundscape and stylised backdrop with a focus on the eerie! This stop-motion film represents a culmination of her enduring interest in the macabre using her bold and immersive drawing style.
Culture Night 2026 will see the first public showing of this work alongside some details of Bríd's original storyboard illustrations.
For more about Bríd and CSS artists see crawfordsupportedstudios.com
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EXHIBITION: Making Space for Not Knowing - Louise Foott
Where: Studio 3, 1st Floor, 46 Grand Parade
When: 6-8pm
Have you ever wondered how you think through ideas when you don’t know the answer? What happens when you draw your thinking as you think? Do these drawings become thought maps?
This exhibition brings together drawings and short films exploring the different ways Louise is exploring her thoughts and ideas as she carries out research for a PhD. Ideas are being explored not only through words and facts, but through feelings, movement, sounds, images, memories, and intuition.
The drawings have been made without a fixed plan or finished picture in mind. Instead, she follows what emerges through the movement of the hand, the materials, and the moment. The accompanying films capture this process as it unfolds, while original soundscapes add another layer to the experience.
Together, the works invite us into an “in-between” space — a place where ideas can be unfinished, uncertain, or difficult to put into words. Here, not knowing is not a problem to solve. It can be a starting point for curiosity, connection, and discovery.
The exhibition asks us to slow down and consider: What might we learn when we make room for ways of knowing that cannot easily be explained?
6.00pm-8.00pm
Engage with the artist: There will be paper, materials and prompts for visitors of all ages to engage in their own thinking drawings
Image: Participants in the Creativity & Change Culture Night workshop "Brat: Flags For Peace", 2025. Photo: Joleen Cronin.
Explore creative action for an equal world with Creativity & Change. For more info see Instagram @creativityandchange.
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MTU Tralee North Campus, Kerry
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What: MTU Kerry Campus Celebrates Culture Night 2026 with Cultural Currents
Where: MTU Tralee North Campus Library, Tralee, Kerry, V92 HD4V
When: Friday 18th September
Times: 17:00 – 19:00
Cultural Currents
MTU Library, Tralee North Campus
17:00 – 19:00
The event will embody aspects of architecture, biophilic design, history and landscape, libraries and sustainability, in addition to music, art, dance and animation.
Additional to exhibits and performances we will feature a display of our shortlisted submission to the IFLA - (International Federation of Library Associations) Green Library Award 2026 titled 'The Ideal Couple? Marrying Biophilia and Sustainability in MTU Libraries'.
There will be pop-up lectures on Sustainable Building, the impact of art on environments, West Kerry music and dance heritage, and VR interactive experiences.
An architecture exhibition in partnership with Kerry County Council will also be showcased in the library.
EXHIBITION:
Echoing Heartlands
Reflections on memory, atmosphere and a deep personal connection to the landscape are embodied in a creative palette of place through the mediums of paint, drawing, ceramics and photography by Assumpta Wallace, Ciara Nash, Ann Byrne, Pat Keane and Phyl Guerin.
This exhibition is supported by an MTU Arts Office Create Le Chéile Project Award.
Image 1 - Pat Keane
Image 3 - Assumpta Wallace
