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family · Wednesday 1 July 2026 · Various 
Dunamaise Arts Centre Summer Workshops for Children
At Dunamaise Arts Centre · Portlaoise, Co. Laois
At Dunamaise Arts Centre · Portlaoise, Co. Laois
Dunamaise Arts Centre runs one of the Midlands’ busiest creative programmes for children every summer, and 2026 is no different. From July through August the centre fills its studios and stage with young people painting, building, singing, dancing and performing - proper hands-on workshops rather than passive entertainment. If you have primary-school age children and you’re looking for something to fill a week or two of the long holidays, this is worth booking early because spaces go quickly.
Two distinct programmes sit at the heart of the summer offering.
Camp Broadway returns for its 16th consecutive year and is the centre’s flagship summer camp. Children aged 4 to 18 split into age groups - juniors (4-6 and 7-9) and inter/senior (10-12 and 13-18) - and spend each day from 10am to 2pm in classes covering singing, acting, dance and arts and crafts. Each group works toward a final-day performance: the 2026 junior camp stages “The Tale of the K Pop Demon Hunters” while the older group takes on “The Greatest Showman”. The camp runs across two weeks (6-10 July and 13-17 July); children can join one or both. Tickets are €122.50 per child per week, with a 10% sibling discount available.
The Sustainable Art Workshop is a shorter, drop-in-style session where children use what the centre calls Make & Do Tools to transform recycled cardboard and salvaged materials into artworks they take home. It is a genuinely tactile session - scissors, glue, paint and imagination, with an eco message built in rather than bolted on.
Beyond these two anchors, the summer schedule typically includes art, music, film and origami sessions for younger children and families. Check the Dunamaise website for the full August calendar as new dates are added through the season.
Portlaoise sits at a major road junction - the M7 Dublin-Limerick motorway and the N80 cross here, making it one of the most accessible county towns in Ireland. From Dublin the drive is under an hour. From Limerick or Kilkenny it is roughly 45 minutes. Irish Rail runs frequent services from Heuston Station (Dublin) and from Limerick Junction; the train station is a short walk from the town centre. The Dunamaise Arts Centre is on Church Street, right in the town centre. Street parking is available nearby and there are pay car parks within a few minutes’ walk.
The town is more than a motorway junction. The Rock of Dunamaise - a dramatic hilltop fortress ruin just outside town - gives the arts centre its name and rewards a short detour, especially with children who like to clamber. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.
Heading to Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.