Welcome to Cork Community Art Link
We are a Community Arts Organisation and registered Charity in Cork, Ireland.

We encourage meaningful collaborations between artists and people that result in the creation of great art, bringing creativity to places where people live, work and play
​
We work with people to create a sense of community identity and collective pride enabling people to learn more about themselves and the world around them all the while having fun
​
Our work engages people both as participants and spectators in public spaces, developing new ways of connecting with the arts and encouraging them to come along, learn new skills and make a creative contribution to the community




​THE DRAGON OF SHANDON 2023
Cork Community Art Link is delighted to announce a Dragon of Shandon Information & Film Screening Afternoon at the Lido Building!

When: Friday 26th May 
Where: The Lido Building, 71 Watercourse Road, Blackpool, Cork, T23 DV24
Cork Community Art Link is holding a Dragon of Shandon Information Day and Film Screening in The Lido Building on Friday, May 26th. 

Come along to discover the ghoulish behind the scenes process of waking the Dragon of Shandon! We will break the afternoon up into two sessions with an identical schedule, so you won't miss a beat! A short presentation will give an overview of the history of the community and participatory arts programme that runs each year in the lead-up to the Dragon parade. We’ll share information on how we coax the Dragon out of her annual slumber to march the streets of Shandon. Following the presentation, we will share expression of interest forms, so you can have your say and what you would to see on the streets of your city! This is an opportunity for groups that have or may wish to participate in the Dragon of Shandon, to meet and discuss suggestions and ideas for Dragon Of Shandon 2023. Our Cork Community Art Link crew will be available to answer any queries you have. Once we hear from you, we’ll end the session with a selection of short films produced by creatives in Cork City that tell the story of the Dragon. We are proud to present the following short films on the day:
  1. 'The Dragon of Shandon' documentary, produced by UCC Film and Media Studies, which will feature in the Fastnet Film Festival.
  2. 'Portraits of Cork/Community Art Link-Dragon of Shandon' produced videographer by Mickael Do Couto (available on YouTube)
  3. 'Dragon of Shandon' a piece by Matt Murphy Media Films
These screenings will be followed up by a question and answer session with our Artistic Director, William Frode De La Foret and General Manager, Aisling McCallion. After all that, we welcome you to take a tour of the studio and delight in the many wild, wonderful and mad creations that we are currently working on!
Tea, coffee and some treats will be provided.  RSVP on or before Wednesday 23rd May by emailing info@corkcommunityartlink.com

We will be delighted to welcome you on the day!

RAWWRR! And Thank You!
From all the CCAL Crew X


Schedule: 
Session 1
Time: 1.30pm-3pm 
  1. Presentation by Beibhinn O’Callaghan and Aisling McCallion on the Dragon of Shandon (20mins)
  2. Overview of Expression of Interest Forms (15 mins)
  3. Screening of selection of Dragon Films (25mins)
  4. Workshop Tour (30mins)
Session 2 
Time: 3.30pm-5pm 
  1. Presentation by William Frode de la Foret and CCAL crew on the Dragon of Shandon (20mins)
  2. Overview of Expression of Interest Forms (15 mins)
  3. Screening of selection of Dragon Films (25mins)
  4. Workshop Tour (30mins)

To find out more about the Dragon and get involved, visit www.dragonofshandon.com or register your interest here

Some of our recent Projects

   Midsummer
  
      Parade

On the solstice in 2022, the inaugural Midsummer Parade took place. Fantastical floats, puppets, musicians, and all manner of masked performers, dancers and revellers took to the streets for a celebration of the longest day of the year, and the creativity of Cork communities! Commissioned by Cork Midsummer Festival, and supported by the Arts Council. 

Patrick's

​Day

CCAL have a long history of participation in the St Patrick's Day Parade. In 2022 we created a spectacular series of floats, props and puppets in collaboration with local groups for the return of the parade after a 2 year break.

Rebel

​Streets

The Rebel Streets project engages communities on the street where they live, work and play. In 2021 we painted a mural for Traveller Visibility Group and more, kindly supported by Creative Ireland.

Dragon of 

​Shandon


Each year, Cork’s Northside lights up with a celebration of the living and the dead, with an assortment of creatures from the underworld roaming the streets.

In 2021, the Dragon of Shandon took the form of an installation trail, treasure map, and live performances.

Help Support Us

We have created amazing community art projects that have involved thousands of participants over the past 28 years, including our monumental annual Halloween event - The Dragon of Shandon Parade - which brought over 15,000 spectators to the streets in 2018!

If you would like to take part and support amazing creative projects for the community you can donate to CCAL by clicking the button below.

​You can give as little as €5, and every donation will help facilitate artistic and creative workshops to all members of the community free of charge in order to bring these wonderful projects to life!
​
Thank you!
Picture