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21 Oct 2025
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21 Oct 2025
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A New BA in Visual Art, run by DIT and Mayo County Council, will start in Erris this September
New art degree planned for Erris
Áine Ryan
aineryan@mayonews.ie
A NEW BA in Visual Art, to be run in Erris by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Mayo County Council, presents ‘a unique opportunity to study art in a rural context using the beautiful and diverse landscapes of North Mayo to inspire students’. That is the view of the co-organisers of the innovative project, to be coordinated by DIT and Mayo County Council.
Organisers say the €200,000 educational investment in Erris will replicate a successful model pioneered by DIT, in association with Sherkin Island Development Society and the West Cork Arts Centre, over the past 14 years.
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday, Ms Anne McCarthy, Mayo County Council Arts Officer, said: “This initiative has been greeted with great enthusiasm in the Erris area as one of the most significant educational developments for the region. Strong, positive local partnerships with Áras Inis Gluaire (Belmullet Arts Centre) and ColΡiste ChomΡin, Rossport, underpin this exciting development.”
She confirmed that the bulk of the course funding for the programme will come from DIT, with support from Mayo County Council and possibly a contribution from the Corrib Gas Community Gain Investment Fund, contributed by Shell as a condition of its planning permission. Responding to a question also by The Mayo News about any involvement of the art department at GMIT, Ms McCarthy said: “The BA in Visual Art has been discussed with senior management at GMIT and hopefully there will be further collaboration and opportunities for GMIT graduates. The DIT course is specifically designed to energise and sustain rural communities and the model has worked well in Sherkin.”
GMIT is presently developing a new BA in Contemporary Art Practices. It has run a part-time BA in Art and Design since 2000 on both the Galway and Mayo campuses,. The deadline for applicants is Friday, June 21, with interviews starting on Tuesday, July 2 in Belmullet Arts Centre.
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