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arts · Friday 17 July 2026 · 9:30am 
KCAT Summer Art Camps
At KCAT Arts Centre · Callan, Co. Kilkenny
At KCAT Arts Centre · Callan, Co. Kilkenny
Every July, KCAT Arts Centre in Callan opens its doors for a week of summer art camps that give children and teenagers a proper creative experience - not craft-table filler, but real studio time with experienced tutors. KCAT (Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent) has been running inclusive arts education from its base on Mill Lane since 1999, and its summer camps carry that same ethos: every young person in the room is treated as an artist in the making. If you have a child who loves making things, or a teenager who wants somewhere to actually develop a skill during the long school holiday, this is worth the drive.
The week runs from 17 to 21 July 2026. Children aged 7 to 11 attend morning sessions from 10am to 12:30pm, covering a range of visual art skills in a hands-on, guided setting. Young people aged 12 to 17 have their own dedicated week - sessions run from 2pm to 4:30pm each afternoon, giving older participants a programme that suits both their ability and their schedule.
KCAT works across drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, sculpture and more throughout the year, and the summer camps pull from that broader programme. The centre’s tutors are practising artists themselves, not simply instructors, so there is genuine craft knowledge in the room. KCAT artists have shown work in professional galleries across Ireland and abroad, and that culture of serious creative practice carries through to the camps.
For adults who want their own studio time, KCAT runs Open Studio sessions every Thursday from 27 July to 31 August, 10am to 4pm, at €120 for the series. These are independent workspace sessions - bring your own project and work at your own pace.
Contact KCAT to register and confirm pricing: call 056 775 5115 or email alice@kcat.ie.
Callan is on the R697, roughly 20 kilometres south of Kilkenny city - about 20 minutes by car. Coming from Kilkenny, follow signs through Stoneyford or take the more direct route through Kells. From Clonmel or Tipperary, Callan is well signposted off the N76. KCAT is on Mill Lane in the town itself; street parking is available in the centre of Callan and the town is compact enough to walk from almost anywhere you leave the car.
Bus Eireann serves Kilkenny from Dublin and other major towns; local connections to Callan run from Kilkenny, though times are limited, so check routes in advance if you are travelling without a car.
Callan is a quiet market town on the King’s River with a mediaeval past and a strong community arts scene, shaped in no small part by KCAT’s presence over the past two decades. There is more to see in Callan and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to KCAT Arts Centre in Callan? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Callan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.