Ted & Mary O’Regan 2025 Arts Bursary Awards
The 2025 Ted & Mary O’Regan Arts Bursaries were presented at a ceremony in Garter Lane Arts Centre this week. Adjudicated by external assessor Robert Browne, this year’s bursaries were awarded to visual artists Stephen Walsh and Molly Hennessy, filmmaker John Bermingham, and theatre artist Natasha Everitt.
Stephen Walsh’s bursary will support the creation of a book and accompanying exhibition, featuring original poetry and illustrations inspired by the birds of Ireland. Molly Hennessy, a recent graduate in Fine Art Painting from NCAD, will use her award to undertake a focused period of research and travel, culminating in a multimedia exhibition in both Waterford and Dublin during 2026/27.
Filmmaker John Bermingham’s award will enable him to take up a place on the two-year MSc in Computer Animation at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Waterford Panto Society kindly sponsored an additional Musical Theatre Bursary, which was awarded to theatre maker Emma Nathan. The bursary will support her upcoming production of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, to be staged in 2026 under her direction.
Now in its 21st year, the Ted & Mary O’Regan Arts Bursary was established by friends and colleagues to honour the couple’s lasting contribution to the artistic and cultural life of Waterford. The bursary is supported by Waterford City & County Council, Garter Lane Arts Centre, Spraoi, Theatre Royal, and Waterford Youth Arts, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Bursary Committee Chair Bertie Rogers thanked the sponsors for their continued support. To date, more than €135,000 has been awarded to over seventy-five Waterford-based practitioners across a wide range of disciplines. Mr. Rogers extended particular thanks to Waterford Panto Society for their generous donation and congratulated them on their milestone anniversary.
In a further boost to the Bursary Fund, Bowler Hat Theatre Company’s recent one-night performance of The Gods Are Angry Miss Kerr by Jim Nolan at the Theatre Royal raised €2,500. These proceeds will go towards the establishment of a new one-off fund in 2026 to support an emerging young Waterford writer.
ENDS
Photos: John Power
Captions
1. Attending were Natasha Everitt and playwright Jim Nolan.
2. Attending were Zoe, Wayne and Anne Brown.
3. This year, an additional Musical Theatre Bursary, kindly sponsored by Waterford Panto Society to mark its 40th 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. Pictured is Anne Brown, Waterford Panto Society presenting Emma Nathan with her Bursary. Included are Bertie Rogers, Chair and Pauline Kennedy O’Regan and a group of Emma’s friends.
