Ríonach Ní Néill is the recipient of the first Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme Bursary Award, managed by Create. The award was designed to support and nurture the professional development of an arts practitioner working in the practice area of arts and older people.

Ríonach Ní Néill is a dancer and choreographer who for the last number of years has been exploring the theme of dance and older people through specific performance and work programmes. Ríonach often integrates professional and non-vocational artists in her work. She believes that "dance can be a form of civic dialogue, creating spaces for us to engage with one another and our surroundings, provoke reflection and allow us to imagine ourselves and others differently."