We’ve been here longer than you might think
The very beginning …
1985
Donal McKendry and Mike Moloney start teaching circus skills to young people in Belfast, as part of an Arts Council Northern Ireland Community Arts programme.
Belfast Community Circus School was born.
Weekly workshops took place in Ormeau Recreation Centre.
Guest tutors include John Lee teaching in the Crescent Arts Centre.
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From 1985 - 2020
Download our publication:
WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN
A beautifully written narrative and photographic journey of how Belfast Community Circus School developed, the opportunities it gave to young people and communities and the importance of it work from 1985 - 2005.
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From 2005 - 2020
The adventures, fun and skills continued to develop. Highlights include summer school programmes, work with Ulster Museum and a partnership with Cirque du Soleil.
Over the years there were trips and exchanges with circus schools based in Finland, Colorado and Prague and the Land of Giants was brought to life in Belfast.
In 2015, the School claimed a World Record and had a Big Birthday Bash for their 30th birthday.
In 2020 we ran our first ever Aerial Intensive Weekend and then made it through our first ever global pandemic…
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From 2021…
We became Circusful on the 30th November 2021. For us, this is about building on what’s gone before, learning from the hard work and brilliant vision that got us to this point and celebrating all that has and will continue to be achieved.
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Saying goodbye too soon…
Whilst our work has the power to fill streets, hearts and minds with the wonder and colour of circus, there have been some incredibly sad times too. Dear members of our circus family have left us too soon - and whilst we miss them all terribly, there are two gentlemen in particular we want to pay tribute to.
Mike Moloney
In 2013 we said goodbye to Mike, one of the two founders of the School, an inspiration to many and a true advocate for circus. For almost 30 years, Mike supported artists to develop, established and developed the first circus family in Northern Ireland. We have held onto Mike’s understanding of the power of circus, his sense of fun and imagination in our new mission, brand and values.
Mike’s understanding of the power of circus was clear from an early age. He combined this with his experience of being a theatre/street performer and teacher and supported BCCS to achieve international recognition as a ‘frontier circus.’
Outside of circus, Mike was the first Executive Director of the Prison Arts Foundation (PAF) in Northern Ireland.
Will Chamberlain
Will moved to Belfast in 1996, taking up the position of Development Officer for the Belfast Community Circus School. He became Director of the Circus School in 2000. In 2017, Will sadly passed away.
Will’s commitment to Social Circus and the role he played in developing the international network, CARAVAN helped to lift BCCS onto a new level both locally and internationally. His skill, passion and preparedness to fight for what he believed in were second to none and his legacy lives on through the home he found for the school in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast - then, Ireland’s only dedicated circus training and performance venue. He went onto organise the world’s first full-time teacher training programme for community circus teachers. Will’s early work is central to our growing outreach programme our continued involvement in CARAVAN.
As the founder of Festival of Fools, Will’s hard work has brought joy to literally thousands of people on the streets of Belfast each year – through the largest festival of its kind on the island of Ireland.
Serving as a board member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland from 2003 to 2005, Will influenced more than just circus and street theatre. Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, paid tribute, saying: “Will was an influential figure in the Belfast arts scene. Thanks to his determined championing of circus and street theatre, these art forms are practically unrecognizable from what they were when he first arrived here some twenty years ago…Will leaves behind an important legacy, of having influenced the shape and raised the profile and recognition of circus arts across the island of Ireland, the UK and Europe.”
Charismatic and compelling, visionaries and pioneers. They both had a powerful impact and their legacy will live on.
Read more here:
Late Mike Moloney - Prison Arts Foundation
Obituary: Will Chamberlain (1963-2017) | Arts Council of Northern Ireland (artscouncil-ni.org)