waterfordyoutharts.com O'Regan Bursary

ANNOUNCING THIS YEAR'S RECIPIENTS

Ted & Mary O'Regan 2026 Arts
Bursary Awards

Presented at Garter Lane Arts Centre

Recipients, the Bursary Committee and members of the O'Regan family at this year's ceremony. Photo: John Power

The 2026 Ted & Mary O'Regan Arts Bursaries were presented at a ceremony in Garter Lane Arts Centre. Adjudicated by external assessor Robert Browne, this year's awards went to film and dance artist Martina Costa Rama, music student Maebh Dimond and filmmaker Steven Stubbs. Congratulations to all three.

FILM & DANCE

Martina Costa Rama

Martina's award will support post-production and distribution of her experimental dance film, An Ode to Growing Old. Recorded during her A Little Room Residency at Garter Lane in April, the film is set in an ethereal dreamscape and follows a woman who imagines herself in old age while confronting the terrifying possibility of dying young.

Martina was abroad on the day, so the film's camera operator, Hannah Bloom, accepted the award on her behalf.

MUSIC

Maebh Dimond

This September, local musician Maebh begins the Bachelor of Music programme at Cork School of Music. Her bursary will help with the purchase of a set of uilleann pipes being made for her by Cork uilleann piper Eoin Ó Ríabhaigh

FILM

Steven Stubbs

Waterford filmmaker Steven's award will support cast and crew fees for Work Hard, Play Hard, a 50-episode vertical mockumentary to be filmed locally later this year. Set in a Waterford city nightclub, with two-minute episodes, the series follows the club's owner, his girlfriend and the rotating cast of staff and patrons who orbit their world.

A FOND FAREWELL

Thank you, Bertie

This year's ceremony was the last to be chaired by Bertie Rogers, who steps down after 22 years and hands over to Ollie Breslin. Philip O'Regan, Ted and Mary's son, paid a moving tribute to Bertie, thanking him for his dedication and passion throughout that time.

On The Day

All photos by John Power

TED & MARY O’REGAN 2025 ARTS BURSARY AWARDS

The 2025 Ted & Mary O’Regan Arts Bursaries were presented at a ceremony in Garter Lane this week. Adjudicated by external assessor, Robert Browne, the 2025 Bursary Awards, were presented to visual artists, Stephen Walsh and Molly Hennessy, film maker, John Bermingham, and theatre artist, Natasha Everitt. Stephen Walsh’s award will assist with the purchase of art materials for a book and art exhibition featuring illustrations of original poetry inspired by the birds of Ireland. A recent graduate in Fine Art Painting at NCAD, Molly Hennessy’s award will facilitate a focused period of research and travel, leading to a multimedia exhibition of her work in Waterford and Dublin in 2026/27. Theatre Artist Natasha Everitt’s award will assist with the cost of participating in a month-long contemporary dance, physical theatre and performance art course with Orian Theatre in Paris. Film maker, John Bermingham’s award will enable him to accept a place on the two year MSc Computer Animation Course at Dundalk IT. This year, an additional Musical Theatre Bursary, kindly sponsored by Waterford PantoSociety to mark its 40 th Anniversary, was presented to theatre maker, Emma Nathan. This award will assist with costs for a production of The Guy Who Didn’t like Musicals, to be produced and directed by Emma in 2026.

The Ted & Mary O’Regan Arts Bursary is now in its 21st year and was founded by friendsand colleagues of the couple to honour their invaluable contribution to the artistic and culturallife of Waterford. Among the organisations who contribute to the Bursary are Waterford Cityand County Council, Garter Lane Arts Centre, Spraoi, Theatre Royal and Waterford YouthArts. At the award ceremony this week, Bursary Committee chairman, Bertie Rogers,thanked the sponsors for their continued support which, to date, has enabled the Committee todisburse more than €135,000 to some seventy-five Waterford based practitioners across arange of arts disciplines. Mr. Rogers extended his particular thanks to Waterford PantoSociety for their generous donation and congratulated them on their milestone anniversary.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EVENT 2024

The 2024 Ted & Mary O’Regan Arts Bursaries were presented in Garter Lane on Thursday 11th of July at a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Awards.

Founded by a group of friends and colleagues in the aftermath of their untimely deaths, the Bursary was created to honour Ted and Mary O’Regan’s invaluable contribution to the artistic and cultural life of Waterford. Among the organisations who contribute to the bursary are Waterford City and County Council, Garter Lane Arts Centre, Spraoi, Theatre Royal and Waterford Youth Arts. With their support, the Bursary Committee has disbursed more than €130,000 to some seventy arts practitioners, a selection of whom presented a series of readings, performances, recitals and visual art at this week’s celebration.

Adjudicated by external assessor, Robert Browne, the 2024 Bursary Awards, each for €2000, were presented to dance artists, Holly Hughes and Rachel Ní Bhraonáin, and to emerging local playwright, Hannah Carberry. Hannah’s award will assist with the production of her new play, Grasp, due to open at the Gallery of Modern Art Gardens in the Spring of 2025. Holly’s will assist with college fees for a year long course at the prestigious Millennium Performing Arts School in London. The final award will assist with the production of Rachel Ní Bhraonáin’s two person dance, aerial and theatre show, Losing Your Body, at Garter Lane in September.