Public Launch of The Carnegie Library, Swords

Fingal Arts Office are delighted to launch The Carnegie Library Arts & Engagement Programme 2024. This new space will serve as a hub for community engagement, public participation, supporting artists’ growth, promoting arts awareness and encouraging innovation as the Fingal County Council prepares for the delivery of the Swords Cultural Quarter. The inaugural event at the Carnegie Library will be the launch, for an invited audience, of an exhibition on Sunday April 28, 2024, from 2pm to 4pm featuring a new work by one of Ireland’s most prolific artists John Byrne, titled An Comórtas (The Contest). Producer and presenter Luke Clancy will join on the day to introduce John’s work.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, expressed great enthusiasm for the project, saying: “The Carnegie Free Library is a cherished landmark that has stood as a beacon of knowledge and culture in Swords since its inception in 1908. Now as a beautifully refurbished space, we are not just reopening a building but we are investing in the intellectual and artistic future of our community.”

The building, originally established in 1908 and recognised as a Protected Structure, will now function as a dynamic centre for community and arts-related activities. It features a new two-story extension which will enhance accessibility and services. It comes as part of the broader development of the Swords Cultural Quarter.

AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, also commented on the project’s significance. “This wonderful new space reflects our commitment to fostering a flourishing environment where arts, culture, and heritage intermingle.  It is also a positive progression in the Swords Cultural Quarter development which will include the delivery of a new County library, an arts & performance centre, and 49 new homes along North Street and Seatown Road,” she said.

The inaugural event at the Carnegie Library will feature new work by one of Ireland’s most prolific artists John Byrne, titled An Comórtas (The Contest). This iconic artwork was commissioned through Fingal County Council’s Public Art Programme Infrastructure where the brief signaled the arrival of the Swords Cultural Quarter and has resulted in a work created with, for and about the people of Fingal. Over 60 members of the community responded to the call “would you like to be immortalized in art?”. An Comórtas (The Contest) shows us a vision of contemporary Fingal and composed with strong references to historical European paintings. The exhibition will be launched on Sunday April 28, 2024 from 2pm to 4pm and will be open to the public to view from May 1, 2024 – June 1, 2024 on Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 10am – 5pm (closed from 1–2pm).

County Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neill, explains that “John Byrne’s new work is the perfect example of how we want to place artists at the centre of our communities. The programme at the Carnegie library will allow us to sustainably create a new cultural landscape in swords through consultation, community engagement and commissioning so that when the Swords Cultural Quarter arrives we have built capacity for both audiences and artists together.”

The programming at the new Carnegie Library aims to exemplify community engagement by providing a platform for professional artists and burgeoning communities alike. It will strive to align with and include existing, planned, and future Fingal Public Arts commissions and Youth Arts projects and where programming will be informed by consultation with national and international arts organisations to ensure adherence to best practices as we plan to meet the vision for the Swords Cultural Quarter.