VISUAL Arts is at the heart of Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival. 2025 will be no different with a huge array of exhibitions, workshops, Vintage Luminaries and lots more at beautiful and historic venues all over Birr.
This year’s theme is “Sign Symbol Word”. What are the signs, symbols and words that shape our communities and surroundings? From the typography and shop signs of Birr to pictograms and poetry, Sign Symbol Word is an interdisciplinary trail exploring the richness of language and creativity. It invites us to celebrate – and question – where our languages come from and how we can better communicate with each other and the world around us.
The Visual Arts Trail Launch will take place on Friday August 1st in Oxmantown National School at 7pm.
For full info, check out the Visual Arts section on birrvintageweek.com.
Some highlights include:
At Oxmantown NS
Open Submission Exhibition
Curated by The Project Twins. From stone carvings to digital code, people have always used symbols to make sense of the world. This open call invites artists to play with, disrupt, or reimagine the signs and symbols that shape our experience. How do meaning, form and context shift when language becomes image, or image speaks like language? They are very pleased to announce that one of the selected artists will be awarded a solo exhibition in 2026.
The Press Photographers Association of Ireland (PPAI) Annual Exhibition.
Sponsored by AIB. This collection of images accurately describes the Ireland of 2024; presenting not only a record of our island’s history, but also is a testament of the incredible skill of our press photographers. The exhibition is on a national tour.
A total of 4,990 passports issued in Offaly already this year
At The Masonic Hall
Nod, Wink, Punch, Punch. – The Project Twins
The Project Twins create bold, minimal works drawing on the visual language of signs, symbols and pictograms. Their playful, collaborative process blends humour, irony and wit, exploring the space between the serious and the absurd. Influenced by everything from wayfinding systems to emojis, their work reflects the ubiquity of graphic language in daily life.
Operation Transformation – Finn Nichol
Operation Transformation embodies the spirits of neoliberal Ireland, enacting strange, solitary rituals that connect mythological transformation to Ireland’s evolving relationship with capitalism and colonial anxiety. Supported by Offaly County Council Arts Act Grant.
At The Old Cinema
Flight – Paul Bokslag
Step into a glowing world of light and sound. This UV installation features animated white doves, symbols of peace, spreading their wings and lighting up the dark. Created in collaboration with service users at Longford’s St. Christopher’s Services, and accompanied by a beautiful soundscape by Andy Spierpoint, the work invites you to pause, look up and feel the calm.
TEN
Ten local artists and designers bring Sign Symbol Word to life with bold, original prints created in collaboration with Limerick Printmakers. Their work celebrates the power of imagery, text and design, offering fresh perspectives inspired by our shared environment. Andrea Moore, Naomi McArdle, George Dempsey Flanagan, Paula Kelly, Catriona McArdle, Bronagh Tully, Leanne Dooley, Jon Barr, Emma Barone, Karla Finnegan.
Young Voices in Print
Adding to the exhibition, students from Killeen NS and Dromakeenan NS, guided by Andrea Moore and Naomi McArdle, share imaginative and playful responses to Sign Symbol Word, bringing fresh perspectives to the theme.
Memories Of A Sign Writer
Step into the world of Brendan Mooney, master sign writer of Birr. In this audio-visual recording, he shares memories of his craft, visiting sign writers and the changing history of Birr’s streets.
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At Birr Theatre & Arts Centre
Orb – Emma Barone
This compelling collection of paintings is dedicated entirely to Barone’s enduring fascination with the sphere, a shape that has captivated her throughout her artistic life. Barone’s work, through its meticulous articulation of colour, light and space, offers a profound meditation on the delicate,
liminal boundaries between our tangible reality and the elusive realm of spiritual transcendence.
At Birr Castle’s Copper Tree Gallery
The Rosse Drawing Exhibition
A remarkable exhibition of historic astronomical drawings, including sketches believed to have
influenced Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. The exhibition showcases the renowned drawings of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, and includes extraordinary depictions of spiral nebulae, created in Birr between 1845 and 1866 using the Great Telescope – the world’s largest at the time. Created under tough night-time conditions, these drawings mark a key moment in astronomy, offering a rare look at the universe before the era of astrophotography.
At town. Restaurant, Main St
Anam Beo 20th Anniversary Retrospective
For two decades, Anam Beo has been nurturing creativity, self-expression and empowerment through the arts. Working in care and community settings, Anam Beo’s artists create welcoming, inclusive spaces where participants are encouraged to explore their creativity. Exhibition launch Event: Tuesday August 5th at 1.45pm, followed by Anam Beo Films at 2.30pm.
The Secret Language Of Stuff
A group exhibition of recent graduates whose work playfully and satirically explores visual language, while also engaging in a thoughtful examination of its deeper meanings and complexities.
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At The Space Above, Main Street
Louise Reid – Winner of the Solo Exhibition Award 2025
Louise’s work captures the eerie emptiness and demise of the Irish rural village. Capturing weather beaten structures in need of maintenance, her work seeks to invoke the spectator to question what these structures add to the landscape rather than what they take away from it.
At Tin Jug Studio, St Brendan’s Street
Explore the Mini-Museums of Birr, featuring Rosalind’s evocative sketches and photographs, Derek’s enchanting mythical wood carvings, and a Curiosities Shop filled with oddities, flotsam and jetsam — each piece with its own story and price (bargaining welcome!). Contact Rosalind (087) 668 1783/info@tinjugstudio.com.
At St Brendan’s Hall
Birr Art Group
This exhibition showcases artwork created by members during their weekly gatherings and special plein-air sessions held throughout Vintage Week. Catch the artists painting live at three scenic spots around town – and if you’d like to join in, you’re more than welcome! Just contact Jean Forristal at (086) 023 4690.
At Birr Library
Tabletop Museum, Saturday August 9th at 10.30am.
Come and delight in a unique exhibition of lovingly collected items and listen to the intriguing stories behind every piece.
Vintage Luminaries
Wednesday August 6th at St Brendan’s Old Church (beside Spinners) at 10pm.
Experience stunning projections on the church, celebrating Cain Adomnáin – the Irish Law of the Innocents (AD 697) – and Birr’s own Macregol Gospels. With illustrations from James Houlihan’s companion book to Adomnan’s Lex Innocentium and the Jurisprudence of Warfare.
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