Joanna Kidney: The Future Has an Ancient Heart, Film and Workshop at Courthouse Arts Centre

Courthouse Arts Centre in Tinahely screens artist Joanna Kidney’s new short film The Future Has an Ancient Heart on Saturday 24 October 2026, with an optional talisman-making workshop in the afternoon. The film invites viewers to attune to their own animal body and senses and to their relationship with the land, made with cinematographer Oisín Mc Farland Smith, film artist Alan Lambert and sound artist Anthony Kelly, and funded by the Arts Council with support from Wicklow County Arts Office.

What to expect

The morning session runs 11am to 12.30pm and includes the film screening followed by informal conversation over refreshments. Those who book the afternoon add-on stay on for a talisman-making workshop from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, led as a hands-on craft session and capped at 15 people, so it books out separately from the screening. The two parts can be booked together or the screening taken on its own, which makes this a flexible half-day out for anyone who only wants the film and conversation.

Good to know

• Date and time: Saturday 24 October 2026, screening 11am to 12.30pm, workshop 1.30pm to 4.30pm
• Venue: Courthouse Arts Centre, Dwyer Square, Tinahely
• Price: €8 for the film screening and refreshments; €30 for the afternoon talisman-making workshop, limited to 15 places
• Booking: courthousearts.ie or bookings@courthousearts.ie, 0402 38529
• Accessibility: contact the box office in advance to discuss access requirements
• Related: the same film also screens at Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on 27 September 2026, followed by a panel conversation with poet Grace Wells and guest contributors

Getting there

Courthouse Arts Centre is on Dwyer Square in the centre of Tinahely, in south-west Co. Wicklow. There is on-street parking around the square and in the village.

While you’re in Tinahely

Tinahely’s village square and cafés are a short stroll from the Courthouse, and the surrounding south Wicklow countryside makes a good stop before or after the screening. There is more to see across Co. Wicklow.