Wires, Strings & Other Things (on demand for schools)
- 9 January — 31 December 2026
Applications for the Swords Cultural Quarter Musician-in-Residence Award 2026 are now open.
Fingal County Council Arts Office, in partnership with Music Network, is delighted to invite applications for the Swords Cultural Quarter Musician-in-Residence Award at The Carnegie. This exciting initiative offers musicians the opportunity to develop their artistic practice, create new work and engage with local audiences.
The residency will provide the selected musician with dedicated time and space to develop and showcase new work and/or foster artistic collaborations. The recipient will receive an award of €6,000, space to work, as well as mentoring and career development support. The residency will culminate in a public concert, allowing audiences to experience the musician's work firsthand.
The residency is open to individual musicians and groups from all genres with a minimum of two years of professional performance experience. To be eligible, applicants must either live in or be originally from Fingal County. All applicants must be aged 18 or over.
Residency activities will take place part-time between August to October 2026.
Information Sessions
Online Session: We will hold an online information session on Tuesday 21 April at 11am to give interested musicians a chance to find out more about the residencies and understand what is needed for this application. Sign up for our online information session at the link below.
A recording of the online session will also be made available on Music Network's website/social media channels after the event.
Site visit:
There will be an in-person visit to The Carnegie, Swords with Arts Office and Music Network staff on Wednesday 22 April at 6.30pm.
Musicians will have the chance to meet the 2025 Musician in Residence, Alannah Thornburgh, and learn more about her residency experience. The site visit will be followed by a performance from the Musician in Residence 2025, and everyone is welcome to attend. To reserve a place, please email linda@lindashevlin.com with “Musicians Site Visit” in the subject line.
How to Apply
Applications can be made online until Thursday 7 May 2026 at 2pm.
Late applications cannot be accepted.
Full guidelines and application criteria are available below.
For any queries relating to this residency, please contact operations@musicnetwork.ie or call 01 475 0224.
Swords Cultural Quarter Musician-in-Residence Award 2026 is supported by Fingal County Council Arts Office and managed by Music Network.
