Carlow College’s Civic Engagement Hub hosted its annual Civic Engagement festival from 23rd March to 23rd April 2026 comprising pop-up talks, quiz events, workshops, walking tours, football matches and much more.Â
The festival was launched with a Creative Art exhibition in the main corridor showcasing the artistic talents of staff and students, as well as a In Conversation talk with Haikel Mansor from the Rohingya community.Â
Over the fortnight, several pop-up talks were presented by staff and students across a range of topics, craftivism workshops, the Sustainability Group led a series of workshops on Composting and Biodiversity, and the Annual Literary Awards showcased the creative writing talents of full-time and part-time students.
The Festival also included an exclusive tour of VISUAL’s latest exhibition.
A key feature of the festival was the Dr Noel Kavanagh Memorial Staff vs Students Football Match, a long held tradition in the College, this year marked to remember a much-loved colleague and lecturer, Dr Noel Kavanagh.
Speaking of the festival, Chair of the Civic Engagement Hub, Agnita Kenny said: “From the pop‑up talks and lively quiz events to the football matches and inspiring open‑mic poetry readings, every activity contributed to the energy and success of the festival. It was wonderful to see so many people come together to share ideas, talents, and conversation across campus.”
“Your enthusiasm, creativity, and willingness to get involved made the festival a vibrant and meaningful celebration of community and engagement.”
The Civic Engagement Hub aims to:
- facilitate and support staff and students in their contributions to community engagement in the various different areas of community engagement activities.Â
- promote community engagement as a valued and essential activity of the College community.
- develop an overall profile of the public and civic engagement activities undertaken by the College community.