WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 2026

Download the programme here.

ASKEATON CONTEMPORARY ARTS invites you to WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, curated by MICHELE HORRIGAN. Our annual artist residency programme and festival situates Irish and international artists in the midst of Askeaton each summer, discovering new potentials of creative energy, the making of place and innovative ecological thinking. Throughout 2026, Askeaton Contemporary Arts celebrates its twentieth anniversary, with exhibition and events in Askeaton and as far afield as Chicago, London and Dublin. 

From our community hall to the River Deel, castle ruins, streets and surrounding countryside, WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD looks to the rich layers of Askeaton’s daily life as its inspiration. Since 2006, artists from around the world have been at the centre of the community investigating, uncovering and creating new understandings. Many artworks made here have been presented elsewhere in Ireland and abroad in exhibitions, art biennials and film festivals, upholding Askeaton’s reputation since medieval times as a place of exchange, trade and cultural knowledge. 

This year, artists MAX GUY, DAVID BEATTIE and KATE O’SHEA work in County Limerick throughout June 2026. A programme of events accompany their stay, FREE and OPEN TO ALL, NO BOOKING REQUIRED, culminating with a special celebration on Saturday 27 June featuring new artistic encounters throughout Askeaton. 

FROM THURSDAY, 18 JUNE
TUESDAY – FRIDAY, 10AM – 1PM, 2PM – 5PM
ASKEATON LIBRARY, EAST SQUARE V94X22H
NEUTRAL STATES
ALLAN HUGHES
Presented at Askeaton Library, ALLAN HUGHES’ Neutral States was made in 2011 as an exploration of the legacy of Second World War battlement infrastructure along the Shannon Estuary. Its presentation in Askeaton fifteen years later honours the involvement of Michael Foley, John Guinane and Michael D. Ryan, all of whom had volunteered in the Local Security Force and Local Defence Force in the 1940s. Hughes interviewed each at length of their memories of the time, and photographed many pillboxes, small concrete structures each man was stationed in. Each of their testimonies reveal the historic conditions, and the commitment and bravery of Askeaton’s community to the role of neutrality of the Irish state during ‘The Emergency’, a subject that continues as an active topic with the use of Askeaton’s airspace and nearby Shannon Airport for U.S. Military activity.

FRIDAY 19 JUNE 8PM
ASKEATON COMMUNITY HALL, THE QUAY, V94 EH9Y
AN EVENING WITH SEANIE BARRON
Join at Askeaton Community Hall for a one-night-only celebration of woodworking maestro SEANIE BARRON. Known throughout the world’s museums and galleries for his unique handcrafted walking sticks and sculptures, Barron has carved and shaped wood for decades in a workshop at the rear of his house in Askeaton. His creations, made with simple handtools and an intuitive approach, grow from his understanding of nature and the environment around him. He roams around the countryside looking for the right branch in a tree or underneath a bush to then shape into walking sticks. These often take on surreal forms, resembling everything from weightlifters, crabs, Hollywood films and the Loch Ness monster, all of which seem to emerge organically and effortlessly from the wood. An accomplished storyteller, Barron often enthrals audiences with stories related to his art and life. Following his exhibitions in Paris and Chicago over the last year, this is a unique opportunity to meet the artist and see many of his recent internationally-acclaimed creations.

SATURDAY 20 JUNE, 4PM
STARTING AT THE OLD FORGE ON WILLIAM STREET AND CONTINUING THROUGHOUT ASKEATON
DAVID BEATTIE
REMNANTS 
DAVID BEATTIE’S Remnants delves deep into mythology, folklore and oral history in the age of digital reproduction. Over the last four years, Beattie conducted extensive fieldwork around sites of ancient ritual such as nearby Grange stone circle and has learned to stonecarve, finding inspiration for a new piece of land art shaped by the life of Askeaton’s inhabitants. Representations of prized possessions of the community of Askeaton appear in real life and as virtual forms, as Remnants reimagines Askeaton itself as the centre of a new solar alignment, encouraging citizen participation to seek out new stone and Augmented Reality monuments positioned in a giant circle surrounding the town. Placed in particular public locations, each encounter offers moments of midsummer evening reflection. 

Remnants explores parallels between material culture and machine generated data, speculating about future knowledge and future archaeology in the digital age. Follow the instructions on the new Remnants app or on printed material locally to discover each place, and follow the trail and complete the circle! Remnants continues throughout 2026 in Askeaton, and forms part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

From 19 June download the Remnants app at www.askeatonarts.com  

TUESDAY 23 JUNE 8PM 
RADHARC AN CHAISLEÁIN, WEST SQUARE
THE AULD TOWN
Charting the changes of Askeaton’s streetscape over the decades, The Auld Town is a community-led walk to remember the past communities of Askeaton that shaped its daily life, humour and shared stories. Beginning at the town’s new park Radharc an Chaisleáin, join for an informative evening of conversation and joviality in one of Ireland’s oldest towns – legend has it Askeaton was founded by Gared, an ancient chieftain who had, in his earlier days, fought alongside Finn McCool and the Fianna.

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 7PM
ASKEATON LIBRARY, EAST SQUARE, V94X22H
IARLAITH NÍ FHEORAIS, VALERIE MURPHY AND EILIONÓIR FLYNN
HEALTH & INFRASTRUCTURE – DISCUSSION AND BOOK LAUNCH 
Join for the inaugural conversation event and book launch at Askeaton’s new public library with writer IARLAITH NÍ FHEORAIS, Askeaton’s VALERIE MURPHY, healthcare activist and founder of Valerie’s Breast Care, and EILIONÓIR FLYNN, professor at the School of Law and Law Institute for Lifecourse and Society at University College Galway. The event is an opportunity to hear more about how we imagine healthcare for all can enhance our lives within Ireland’s social and economic affluence.

As part of her ongoing research into disability, health and medicine, Iarlaith Ní Fheorais’ new publication There’s a Tunnel Under Ballybrit Business Park explores Ireland as a key location for the global medical technology industry. Generously assisted by the Irish state’s financial support and industrial policies, MedTech produces millions of advanced medical instruments, devices and equipment for export each year. Yet, as multinational corporation revenues soar, state bodies tightly regulate access to publicly-funded healthcare. In her new book published by Askeaton Contemporary Arts, Iarlaith investigates the infrastructure and barriers encountered in Irish healthcare, asking for a new way of democratic thinking to occur. 

THURSDAY 25 JUNE 8PM
ASKEATON COMMUNITY HALL, THE QUAY, V94 EH9Y
TOM CASSIDY
THE FORGOTTEN DEFENDERS – PILLBOXES OF THE SHANNON ESTUARY
Join TOM CASSIDY of Fola Archaeology and Heritage Services for an illustrated talk on the life and history of the Second World War in West Limerick. For many years, Tom has researched pillboxes in the Askeaton hinterland, each small defence structures made from mass concrete that, unusually, are found throughout the area. Pillboxes were built in the 1940s as guard posts, allowing Irish soldiers to watch over strategic positions and important infrastructure in the event of military invasion on the Shannon Estuary. Tom was responsible for placing noteworthy examples in Askeaton on Ireland's Record of Protected Structures during his time as Conservation Officer for Limerick City and County Council. Today, as the Foynes-to-Limerick road construction makes its way around Askeaton, more examples have been found, overgrown by ditches and receding back into the landscape. In light of current debates about Ireland’s neutrality, these structures remain as a poignant reminder of the threat and pervasiveness of war today. The Forgotten Defenders – Pilllboxes of the Shannon Estuary is presented in association with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Archaeological Management Solutions. 

SATURDAY 28 JUNE 3PM
ASKEATON COMMUNITY HALL, THE QUAY, V94 EH9Y
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OPEN DAY 
Our annual OPEN DAY celebrates the work of 2026’s artists-in-residence and our wider community who contribute to cultural life in Askeaton. A reception at Askeaton Community Hall will be followed by a guided tour. 

MAX GUY travels to live and work in Askeaton thanks to a new artist residency exchange programme with HYDE PARK ART CENTER in Chicago. In a multitude of artistic ways, he compares the real and the fake, questions everyday behaviour and existential quandaries, and highlights both our shared humour and harsh political realities. With a broad and always curious interest in tourism, anthropology and theatre, his time in Askeaton asks how we relate to the world around us, and where can we find ways of experiencing it anew?  KATE O’SHEA is a socially-engaged artist whose DIY ethos spans printmaking, the creation of archiving, large-scale installations, performance, and publishing. Her art is known for a long-term commitment to the power of storytelling and community engagement, creating meeting places for what our shared political imagination  and strength of solidary can be. 

Meet DAVID BEATTIE, ALLAN HUGHES, ANNE CLEARY and DENNIS CONNOLLY, and we introduce new long-term artist-in-residence RÓNÁN Ó RAGHALLAIGH, whose art considers the role of folklore, land and language across vast expanses of time and place. Creating a dialogue between ancient and contemporary culture, Rónán’s paintings, writing and performance art are increasingly known, asking how to befriend ecologies, myth and communal healing in the face of commodification, conflict and climate crisis.

THROUGHOUT JUNE 
ASKEATON COMMUNITY HALL, THE QUAY, V94 EH9Y
SCHOOL OF LOOKING AND DÓCHAS MIDWEST AUTISM SUPPORT 
SPRING FLOWERS
As part of an ongoing creative partnership, members of DÓCHAS MIDWEST AUTISM SUPPORT and artists ANNE CLEARY and DENIS CONNOLLY of Paris-based SCHOOL OF LOOKING present Spring Flowers, an exhibition exploring the natural beauty and heritage of Askeaton and the banks of the Deel River. Earlier this year, the artists and the young Dóchas team gathered and press dried samples of gorgeous spring blossoms, creating new artworks on paper, and light and sound installations that celebrate the rich biodiversity of West Limerick. Spring Flowers is further supported by Cruinniú na nÓg.

ONLINE 
ONLY IN ASKEATON is an online media channel at Askeaton Contemporary Arts website. Watch videos on local heritage and the future of county Limerick such as MICHAEL HOLLY’S Ardshanbally. Follow SEANIE BARRON around Askeaton’s hinterland as he shapes his unique wooden creations. Delve into Askeaton’s medieval Franciscan Friary, or go behind-the-scenes to see how our artists form innovative and meaning relationships,, offering new viewpoints and ideas to how we can live in an enriching land.

PUBLICATIONS
Over the last ten years, our publication imprint ACA PUBLIC has explored topics of environmentalism and art, and the many ways that culture and ecology intertwine to create new understandings of our contemporary world. See our website for more details and information on previous and current releases.

IARLAITH NÍ FHEORAIS’ There’s a Tunnel Under Ballybrit Business Park considers the history and infrastructure of healthcare in Ireland and is now available, published as part of access: practices and habits, a collaborative Creative Europe artistic research programme involving Askeaton Contemporary Arts in Limerick, If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution in Amsterdam and Bulegoa z/b in Bilbao.

In A Waulking Set: Mediations On The Fabric of Life, an emerging generation of artists - TARA BAOTH MOONEY, MICE HELL and EMILY WASZAK with Niamh Moriarty -  consider the medium of textiles as a channel for gathering community and comradery, and  the precariousness of human life. Collectively, they propose sharing meditative processes of making, and making-do.

FURTHER AFIELD 
Askeaton Contemporary Arts recommends KATE O’SHEA’S Mycelium, a new solo exhibition at VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow ongoing until 30 August. NIAMH SCHMIDTKE features in the environmental exhibition The Rain Tells Us Everything at the Regional Culture Centre, Letterkenny from 11 July – 19 September. Mark in your diary Askeaton Contemporary Arts’ associate JOHN CARSON’S exhibition of new artworks investigating the social and musical histories of Ireland’s border counties and post-conflict geographies of Northern Ireland, at the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast from September 2026. 

SOCIAL MEDIA 
Follow the Welcome to the Neighbourhood programme, with a social media response by ANDY DOWNES (@handmedownes) showcasing his interest in local history, myth and Askeaton’s built heritage throughout June.
FACEBOOK askeatoncontemporary
INSTAGRAM @askeatoncontemporary

ACCESS
Askeaton Community Hall and Askeaton Library are wheelchair accessible with dedicated wheelchair parking and accessible toilets.  As a medieval town, Askeaton’s streets, footpaths and bridges are still on occasion uneven terrain, yet wheelchair access and routes can be facilitated. Open captioning is available at events by request, and we will make every effort to provide any access request for our programme. To further discuss please contact Askeaton Contemporary Arts. 

EAT AND DRINK 
Cagney’s Bar, East Square 
Top of the Town Bar and Pour94 Coffee, Main Street 

RECREATION
Askeaton Swimming Pool 
Curraghchase Forest Park

ACCOMMODATION
Accomodatuon partner: Coolrahnee House (reservations 061 398883) 
Whitethorn BnB (reservations 087 2204483)

VISITING ASKEATON 
Car: 25 minutes from Limerick City on N69
Bus Éireann: route 314 from Limerick City. Everyday with a regular service 
Air: 40 minutes from Shannon Airport 
EV charger operates at Askeaton Community Hall, V94 EH9Y

FURTHER INFORMATION
087 3293678
askeatonarts@yahoo.ie 

SPONSORS
Arts Council, Limerick City and County Council, Askeaton Ballysteen Community Council, Creative Europe, Hyde Park Art Center, Supervalu, Credit Union