Creative Postcards: Friendship
On 16 December 2025, British Council Ireland, in partnership with the British Embassy Dublin and the National Library of Ireland, hosted the second instalment of the Jane Austen 250 Creative Postcards exhibition.
This is the fourth iteration of the Creative Postcards project, a UK–Ireland creative initiative that invites young people to respond artistically to shared themes through literature and visual expression. Previous editions of the project explored the themes of War, Identity and Climate, with this year’s focus on Friendship.
The Friendship theme has been developed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, while also connecting students with her Irish contemporary, Maria Edgeworth. Through this shared literary lens, young people explored ideas of friendship, voice and connection across time and place.
Students worked with selected texts by Austen and Edgeworth, alongside illustrations from the National Library of Ireland’s Prints and Drawings Collection. Using the blackout poetry method, students creatively re-imagined the visual and textual possibilities of the page, responding to both language and imagery in new and expressive ways.
In total, 35 schools from across Ireland and the UK took part in this year’s project, submitting 819 creative postcards. The works on display reflect the originality, thoughtfulness and creative confidence of the students involved.
Participating schools represented at the launch:
- St Louis Secondary School, Co. Louth
- New-Bridge Integrated College, Co. Down
- Coláiste Cois Life, Co. Dublin
- St Genevieve’s High School, Belfast
- Thomond Community College
- Crana College, Co. Donegal
- Coláiste an Eachréidh
- St Paul’s Community College, Co. Waterford
The exhibition is presented at the National Library of Ireland, in partnership with the British Council and the British Embassy Dublin. The launch event brings together students from a selection of participating schools alongside invited guests and forms part of a wider celebration of youth creativity and cross-border collaboration. Coverage of the launch will feature on TG4’s children’s programming.
The Creative Postcards project continues beyond Dublin. In January 2026, the full collection of postcards will travel to Jane Austen’s House in England, ensuring that the voices and creative responses of young people from Ireland and the UK are shared with wider audiences.
At its core, Creative Postcards reflects the strength of UK-Ireland cultural collaboration and the role of literature and the arts in fostering understanding, empathy and friendship among young people.