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arts · Friday 16 October 2026 · Various 
Viewpoints - Picture Book Illustration Exhibition
At The Linenhall Arts Centre · Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 AN24
At The Linenhall Arts Centre · Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 AN24
Viewpoints is a touring exhibition of new illustration by seven Irish picture book makers: Kathi Burke, Peter Donnelly, Róisín Hahessy, Chris Haughton, Chris Judge, Mary Murphy and Niamh Sharkey. The Glucksman commissioned the work in partnership with the UCC School of Law, asking each artist to respond to a different theme within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The themes split across the seven: equality, justice and the right to be heard, education, climate change and the environment, family and identity, creativity and play, and migrants and refugees.
The line-up is a strong one for a regional gallery. Chris Haughton and Niamh Sharkey are among the best known Irish illustrators working internationally, and seeing original artwork rather than printed pages is the point of a show like this. It is curated by Meadhbh Healy and supported by a Touring Award from the Arts Council of Ireland, and at the Linenhall it forms part of Roola Boola Children’s Arts Festival 2026. The gallery is free to enter and the work is pitched so that children and adults get something different from the same wall, which makes it a straightforward stop with kids on a wet Saturday in Castlebar.
The Linenhall is on Linenhall Street in the centre of Castlebar, a couple of minutes from The Mall and the main square. By road the N5 runs west from Dublin through Longford and Roscommon, the N84 comes north from Galway, the N60 connects Claremorris and Roscommon, and the N58 arrives from Ballina and Foxford. Irish Rail runs Dublin Heuston to Castlebar services via Manulla Junction and the station is a short walk from the town centre. Bus Eireann links Castlebar with Galway, Sligo, Westport and Ballina. Street parking on and around Linenhall Street is pay-and-display, with larger car parks within a few minutes’ walk.
Heading to The Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar? Mayo has plenty more to see. Read the Castlebar area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.