This is the third year of the Paint and Peace Programme, led by artist Tricia O’Connor, taking place in August 2026. The programme will be delivered across Creative Communities settings at Hummingbird Studio, Collis Sandes House and Clippity Clop Equine Centre, Farmers Bridge, Tralee.

Over a two-week period, children, tweens, and teens with additional needs will participate in the Paint and Peace Programme through a series of creative workshops based between Hummingbird Studio and Clippity Clop Equine Centre. Participants will engage Visual Art, Music Therapy, Equine Therapy and in guided nature and horse trail sessions, experiencing horses within their natural environment.

Tricia O Connor and Music Therapist Claire Adams will also will participants to respond to and reflect on these horse trail experiences through pop-up visual art studios based in the stables. These sessions will include expressive painting, sensory-based workshops, and wellbeing-focused creative practices.

Participants will also respond to the horse trail experiences and their engagement with the natural and local environment through live music sessions led by music practitioner and music therapist Claire Adams. The programme will offer both indoor and outdoor multi-sensory, accessible creative experiences for all participants.

Throughout the programme, participants and staff will be invited to reflect on a series of trauma-informed questions. These reflections, alongside field recordings, live music, and participant contributions, will be captured by local sound artist Niamh O’Brien, which will be developed in a mini podcast series for staff, parents, and a wider audience to engage with the creative process.

DATES OF August Camps ( Room 2 Collis Sandes House Tralee + Clippity Clop Equine Center

Camp 1: Monday to Wednesday 17th- 10-1pm Art + Music Therapy camp in Hummingbird Studio, Collis Sandes House Tralee

10 spaces available + guardians and parents welcome to stay. BOOKED OUT

Camp 2: Tuesday 24th -Thursday 26th 10-1pm Art, Music and Equine therapy Clippity Clop Equestrian Center

‍ ‍10 spaces available + guardians and parents welcome to stay. BOOKED OUT

Exhibition and showcase Tralee Library September 12th Saturday 10.30am-12.30

Through two 3 day immersive art,music therapy and equine therapy for children, tweens and teens with additional needs will be able to express themselves through Visual art, printmaking, music therapy, equine and nature therapy.

At the exhibition, the outcomes of the Paint and Peace Programme will showcase both the creative journey and the reflective, wellbeing-focused process of the participants. Documentation of the horse trail sessions and the natural environment at Clippity Clop Equine Centre will also be included through photography, video, and reflective materials, highlighting the connection between nature, horses, and creativity.

The exhibition will present a curated selection of visual artworks created by children, tweens, and teens in response to their horse trail experiences, including expressive paintings, sensory-based pieces, and collaborative works developed in the pop-up studio spaces.

The two week immersive is a free event, if you’d like to join us please fill out this form.