Celebrating Glenveagh’s biodiversity through creativity, conversation and community

Glenveagh National Park are delighted to host a festival of events to highlight the landscape, its history, people, nature and conservation, with a special emphasis on the arts to celebrate this year’s National Biodiversity Week (17 – 24 May 2026).

As part of this year’s festival, Glenveagh is delighted to host its second Artist in Residency, in partnership with NCAD. Barbara Sullivan is a photographer working with digital, analogue, and experimental processes and a recent graduate of the CFA@NCAD’s Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Ecology.

Barbara will exhibit new images made in Glenveagh and some of her other recent work in the Marquee for the duration of the festival. In the mornings of the festival, she will demonstrate some of the techniques she uses with made botanical inks in her photographic work. She will also be hosting several workshops throughout the week.

Monday 18th May | 3pm-4.30pm: Art Workshop for Adults

On Monday, Barbara will invite adult visitors to playfully experiment with making and using botanical inks using common plant species found in the gardens or verges. Particpants will have the opportunity to draw or write with ink on paper, and to try additional inks provided by the artist. Group members will have the opportunity to experiment with colourising a black and white darkroom print of one of Barbara’s photographs made in Glenveagh, using the ink you make during the workshop. Your final image will be yours to bring home. No previous photographic or artist experience is required. This is an informal workshop aimed to encourage participants to be playful in their engagement with art and nature.

Tuesday 19th May | 12 noon – 1.30pm: Art Workshop for National Schools

On Tuesday, Barbara will have an opportunity for a small group of primary school children to explore some of the native plants of the park, and to investigate their traditional uses as well as their biodiversity value before experimenting with drawing and printing with home made botanical inks and common garden plant material, on a variety of surfaces. The aim is to have fun, experiment with different processes and explore which one of them you like using best. The work you create will be yours to bring home.

Learn more about the programme of events on the Glenveagh Park website here.