Riverbank Arts Centre

Family Trees hang over Property Lines – An exhibition by Fiyin Oluokun
2025-09-05 18:00 - 2025-10-25 15:00 (Europe/Dublin) | Riverbank Arts Centre, Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland
A bent knee at a vaguely familiar stranger
Another known face driving a taxi,
An accent switch when new friends appear
– only to be switched once more when they leave,
Ori on forehead
This series of collages explores how class and race affect how people move through the world, the jobs taken, spaces occupied. Reflecting on the lives of the Nigerian diaspora living in Ireland these works display the oddities of finding a home in a ‘foreign’ land while maintaining, engaging in and creating culture. Family Trees hang over Property Lines showcases the small encounters, subtle gestures and interactions that are kin to Black and Irish people.
Fiyin Oluokun is recipient of the 2024 ‘Emerging Visual Artist Bursary Award’ supported by Kildare County Council Arts Service and Riverbank Arts Centre.
McKenna Gallery Friday 5 September-Saturday 25 October Monday-Friday 9:30am-5pm | Saturday 10am-3pm Admission Free
As part of this exhibition Fiyin will host a Collage Workshop for adults on Thursday 16 October.

TADA! An exhibition by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
2025-09-06 10:00 - 2025-11-01 15:00
How much does a bull weigh?
What’s the difference between a heron and a flamingo?
How do you make friends at school?
Why are children important?
What does the rain taste of?
These are just some of the questions children have asked during creative book-making projects with Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, over 28 years of working collaboratively with young people across Ireland. TADA! is a curated archival exhibition showcasing this work, featuring artworks, activities and handmade books. It was originally developed by a group of young people through online workshops with Kids’ Own Associate Artist and curator Vanya Lambrecht Ward.
Drawing from a rich archive of original art, writing and publications, they chose four main themes—play, people, place and pondering—and selected work reflecting these. The exhibition includes framed and unframed portraits and landscapes in drawing, print, collage and painting, large sculptural cardboard cut outs, and handmade books from Kids’ Own’s earliest collaborations. Interactive spaces invite visitors to engage with portraiture, printmaking, collage and reading. TADA! celebrates the creativity, cultural rights and stories of diverse young communities across Ireland.
Kids’ Own is a Sligo-based children’s arts organisation and publishing house that connects children and their communities with professional artists through a range of projects, giving visibility and status to children’s voices, artwork and writing within mainstream culture. Kids’ Own is a registered charity, core-funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Children’s Gallery
Saturday 6 September-Saturday 1 November
Monday-Friday 9:30am-5pm | Saturday 10am-3pm
Admission Free
As part of this exhibition artist Brenda Kearny will host a workshop for children and their adults on Saturday 18 October. More info here.

Fighting Words
2025-10-06 10:00
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 dates:
Monday 15th September, 10am
Monday 6th October, 10am
Monday 3rd November, 10am
Monday 8th December, 10am
These workshops will be conducted in our venue or in your classroom by a Fighting Words trained facilitator and supported by volunteers from Riverbank’s Fighting Words team. The workshop will last 2 hours and we request that the teacher is present throughout.
If you are interested in booking a workshop for your class or would like more information please contact Theresa – theresa@riverbank.ie

Parthenope
2025-10-06 20:00
Born in the Bay of Naples and named after a siren of the sea from Greek mythology, 18-year-old Parthenope (an enthralling performance by Celeste Dalla Porta) is fully aware of the power she wields with her great beauty. Her brother Raimondo is captivated and resents the interest Sandrino, the housekeeper’s son, shows in his sister. Parthenope toys with them both and other admirers for over the long summers of her youth. But when tragedy strikes, and carefree romances lose their thrill, she decides to seek a deeper sense of purpose.

Provocative and transcendently beautiful, Parthenope is an entrancing piece of work that will take audiences on an epic journey to breath-taking Naples, the birthplace of the film’s director, Paolo Sorrentino.
Directed by Paola Sorrentino | 136 mins | Cert 15 | Italian, Neapolitan and English with English subtitles

Screenings are presented in association with Access Cinema and Europa Cinemas.

Special offer: Buy 5 cinema tickets for €30!
Simply purchase one ticket for 5 separate cinema screenings and get all 5 tickets for €30*!
*Terms & Conditions apply

SCHOOLS: The Lonesome Boatman
2025-10-08 09:30
Presented by Ouch Productions, Colm O’Grady
The Lonesome Boatman follows the incredible adventures of Buttons, a corrupt local politician who gets into his bath and sails away on the rising tides. Upon this amazing voyage, Buttons battles with the sea, the elements and his ego (which is a kind of monster). The Lonesome Boatman is an outstanding circus theatre show for school audiences; a musical clown odyssey, which explores the themes of climate change in a humorous but thought-provoking way. In the seemingly simplistic setting of a bathtub a multi-layered theatrical seascape is created while simultaneously creating a powerful redemption arch. Combining magical realism with circus techniques such as object manipulation, juggling and trapeze to create a unique narrative and poetic universe. The story navigates through many epic states, events and emotions, increasingly propelled by the elements. This original show incorporates bespoke compositions alongside traditional music with live instrumentation including banjolele, bodhran, tin whistle, spoons, musical saw. The Lonesome Boatman is a playful story bubbling with comedy, surprises and rubber ducks!

Suitable for Junior Infants+
Duration: 45 mins
Performance times: 9:30am & 12:15pm
If you are interested in booking this show for your class or would like more information please contact Theresa – theresa@riverbank.ie
Made possible thanks to the Arts Council of Ireland funding Circus and Touring Award, with support from Cairde Arts Festival, Roscommon Arts Centre, DeClic Circus and all the dreamers and makers along the way.
Photographer credit: Peter Martin

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: The Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story
2025-10-09 19:00
Filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea (Pray for our Sinners) brings us author, playwright and socialite Edna O’Brien, as she reflects upon her life and career with astounding candidacy. Defying Ireland’s patriarchal, religious constraints with her sexually frank 1960 debut novel, The Country Girls, she became a literary sensation. Vilified in Ireland and escaping an abusive husband, O’Brien was empowered and prolific, controversial and sexually open, a taboo-breaking powerhouse who made a fortune and lost one.
Completed shortly before her death last year, Blue Road features extracts from O’Brien’s journals (read by Jessie Buckley); contributions from, among others, Gabriel Byrne and Anne Enright; and a remarkable final interview with Edna, aged 93, as she reflects with dignity and candour on her extraordinary life.
Directed by Sinéad O’Shea | 98 mins | Cert 12A | English language
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.
Please note that this has an earlier start time of 7pm.

Screenings are presented in association with Access Cinema and Europa Cinemas.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Ten Books You Should Read with Rick O’Shea and Hazel Gaynor
2025-10-11 10:30
Kildare Readers’ Festival are delighted to welcome Rick O’Shea and Hazel Gaynor as our two guests for the ever popular Ten Books. Rick O’Shea, radio presenter, writer and chair of the Rick O’Shea Book Club online will talk with Author Hazel Gaynor, an award-winning New York Times and internationally bestselling author, whose latest novel Before Dorothy serves as a prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Expect lively conversation, personal insights, and plenty of reading inspiration.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Under the Rainbow: Shane Kenny and Fionnán Sheahan
2025-10-11 13:00
Join us for a fly on the wall glimpse into the world of the Irish political landscape during the Rainbow Coalition of 1994 -1997.
Shane Kenny, press secretary of The Rainbow Coalition, guides us through the conflicts and conversations which led to the ground-breaking Good Friday Agreement. Be enlightened to the process which established The McCracken Inquiry, a precursor to the Moriarty Tribunal examining the sources of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey’s wealth, and a divorce referendum which championed freedom of choice to a modern Ireland.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Debut Voices: Roisín O’Donnell and Brendan MacEvilly
2025-10-11 15:30
Join us for a conversation between Sam Blake and debut authors Roisín O’Donnell (Nesting) and Brendan MacEvilly (Deep Burn).
This event presents an exciting opportunity to hear from two rising stars in the literary world as they discuss their debut novels and share their experiences of bringing their stories to life. Both O’Donnell and McEvilly will offer a fresh perspective on what it’s like to be a new voice in literature, from the challenges of writing their debuts to the excitement of seeing their work in print.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Filthy Queens & Beer Herstory
2025-10-11 17:30
Join us for a captivating dive into Ireland’s rich and rebellious brewing past with beer historian, blogger, and podcaster Dr Christina Wade, as she discusses her acclaimed new book, Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland. As featured in The Independent (Jan 2025), this ground-breaking work uncovers the untold stories of Ireland’s women brewers, from the legendary St Brigid to the bold alewives of Dublin’s bustling taverns.
In conversation with Dr Wade are award-winning beer writers and international beer judges Susan and Judith Boyle of Two Sisters Brewing, bringing their own insights and wit to this spirited discussion.
Bonus treat: Attendees will even get to sample a special beer ice cream—a delicious nod to the creativity and craft of modern brewing!
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Crime and Forensics: Fact Meets Fiction
2025-10-11 20:00
Former State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy joins bestselling crime writers Catherine Ryan Howard and Andrea Mara to explore how forensic and criminal investigations are portrayed in fiction – and how closely they reflect real-life cases. A gripping conversation where crime writing meets forensic reality.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Sunday Sessions: Music, Mayhem and Memory
2025-10-12 11:00
Our Festival Sunday begins with author Dermot Bolger conducting his traditional public conversation with two guests, author Eoin McNamee and musician Keith Donald, whose recent books – a novel and a memoir – explore their pasts in very different ways.
Keith Donald’s memoir, Music and Mayhem charts the immersive and explosive life of one of Ireland’s most important musicians, and the golden decades of Irish music he was at the very centre of. His memoir is starkly honest about music, addiction and recovery. Eoin McNamee comes at the past from a different angle in his acclaimed new novel, The Bureau, which has been described by David Peace as “his most personal and heart-breaking novel yet, (that) stands shoulder to shoulder with his finest work.”
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.

KILDARE READERS’ FESTIVAL 2025: Writer-in-Residence with Belinda McKeon and Aingeala Flannery
2025-10-12 13:00
Kildare Readers’ Festival 2025 concludes with acclaimed novelist, short story writer, playwright and Associate Professor in the English Department at Maynooth University, Belinda McKeon interviewing the newly appointed Writer-in-Residence for Maynooth University/Kildare Library and Arts Services Aingeala Flannery. This promises to be an inspiring talk, offering a glimpse into the creative life of a writer and the impact of literary residencies.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation will be provided for this event.
Please note: online bookings are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets bought at Box Office or by phone (045 448327) not subject to booking fee.
Full list of Kildare Readers’ Festival events here.
