Northern Ireland

Bloomsday 2021 in Rostrevor.

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Despite the lockdown we have been collating a collection of readings from Ulysses which we are presenting online together with some of the material from last year’s Bloomsday.

You can view the programme throughout the day on The Light Theatre Company You Tube Channel with a new premiere every hour from 12.00 to 8.00pm.

In addition we are presenting series of pop i readings outside the Rostrevor Book Club from 12.30pm. Dress up and join the fun at the only place in Northern Ireland mentioned in James Joyce’s famous novel to which a named character comes – it’s Miss Douce, a barmaid at the Ormond Hotel in the Sirens episode.

The Light Theatre Company was conceived by Director, Alistair Livingstone and Writer, Csilla Toldy as a vehicle to develop and perform high quality theatre in small alternative venues. Find Out More HERE.

Literary Tourism Products Under Development in Northern Ireland & Cavan/Monaghan

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Lurgan & North Armagh George Russell Festival Society (GRFS)

The Society runs an Annual Festival in Lurgan, County Armagh centred around the heritage of George Russell – better known as ‘A.E.’. The Festival includes various talks and a historic walking tour as well as poetry readings and ‘open mic’ nights.

Through the Spot-lit project, The AE Russell Literary Tour has been developed and will be rolled out once restrictions allow. A successful online festival was held in April and this has drawn additional support and people to get involved with the project. An exhibition will be taken on the road this summer and a school project is under development. Funding has been secured from the Housing Authority to undertake a feasibility study for the creation of a new AE Russell Centre which will incorporate the birthplace of AE Russell. Lurgan Council have incorporated a visual icon (Book and Pen) into the new branding for the town further emphasising the the importance of Russel and the literary connection to the town. New signage is also to be erected for the ‘Russell Quarter’ within the town.

Lurgan George Russell Festival Society organisers Cathy McGibbon and Michael McKernan

Iniskeen Enterprise Development Group – Patrick Kavanagh Literature Project.

The Patrick Kavanagh Centre reopened on the 17th May with a cultural and arts programme planned for the summer months. Together with Monaghan County Council and Fáilte Ireland, the Centre is working with the local community and tourism enterprises to develop Inishkeen and the surrounding areas as a literary tourism destination. This has attracted additional funding for activities and public realm developments around the initiative. While progress has been good, it has nonetheless been very challenging to gather and develop this network during public health restrictions. In the meantime, a number of other significant developments have taken place. Partnerships have been developed with RTE (series related to Kavanagh in production) and the National Concert Hall. A permanent Poetry Jukebox is to be installed in the town which will showcase Kavanaghs work along with contemporary writers. The Kavanagh weekend will go ahead in September with a special one off show. December 2021 will mark the 90th anniversary of Kavanagh’s walk to meet AE Russell in Dublin. A possible joint event is being considered with the AE Russell Society.

Patrick Kavanagh Centre.

Todd’s Leap Activity Centre –Farrell’s Lanavoye.

Established 30 years ago, Todd’s Leap Activity Centre was the brainchild of Benny O’Hanlon. When Benny acquired the two neighbouring farmlands, beside his family home, his inspiration for Todd’s Leap, came from a verse of a poem that he had been taught in school. The poem ‘Lanavoye’ by the local writer Patrick Farrell (1856 – 1938) laments of the ‘happy colony’ that once resided on the beautiful glens of Lanavoye but through time had emigrated away. (More HERE)

Todds Leap regard literary tourism as becoming part of their destination tourism planning.  A working group has been set up to deliver The Farrell Festival in July 2021.  The group are currently heavily engaged in planning and delivering their day to day activities as restrictions have been lifted. Schools are all fully engaged in the programme and will deliver one of his poems during Ceili night.

Todds Leap.

The Light Theatre Company – Bloomsday Festival.

The Light Theatre Company is progressing well in bringing their literary tourism product to market. Key in that achievement have been two important milestones – testing and delivering their literary events online during lockdown in the past year, and their developing connections with the wider tourism sector in the region to establish a literary tourism destination. Delivering their events online has been challenging, but the group recognise their achievements and now have digital collateral to support their work in the future. A Bloomsday event for 2021 is in planning, with options for online and offline festival events in the mix.

Droimnín Destinations.

Droimnín Destinations is a new business established with the intention of providing specialised tourism initiatives working with a range of stakeholders throughout County Cavan.  Droimín Creatives have developed a programme of content for the summer months of July-September, with additional funding support from the local authority and Creative Ireland. In preparation for this programme, the group are working to finalise a business plan and marketing plan, supported by Cavan Arts Office. This process has also assisted the group in formalising a committee and a commercial model for their future operations. Work on the organisation’s online presence is well underway. This will give them a website and social media presence, and it is planned to include a digital map showcasing creative arts in Cavan as part of their online presence.

Armagh Rhymers – Digital Guidebook.

The Armagh Rhymers have developed the framework for their digital guidebook and have done considerable work over the year in collating their digital archive. The Rhymers expect to recommence work on their digital guidebook later this year. The Armagh Rhymers have spent the past year adapting to and developing skills for the digital world and now place an even greater value and importance on their digital guidebook.

Navan Fort Image Credit George Frager.

Strabane Business Improvement District – Flann O’Brien Literary Programme.

With support from the Spot-lit project, a programme of events are being developed to celebrate Flann O’Brien and his work.  BID has spent considerable time reworking their Flann O’Brien events to accommodate travel and health restrictions.  The programme of literary and cultural events will take place over the summer in Strabane, bringing the works of and connection to Flann O’Brien for the local community and visitors to the region. In addition, a new heritage trail in development for Strabane will include points of interest in the life of Flann O’Brien with the ultimate goal to develop a stand alone Flann O’Brien trail in the future. Looking ahead, Strabane BID will work with the local heritage group and community groups to further establish the connections to Flann O’Brien, bringing national and international media and Flann enthusiasts to the area for festivals and events in the years ahead.

The Lighthouse Project – Literary Performance Model.

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In May 2020, the Western Development Commission circulated a tender call for a creative partner to develop a Literary Tourism Performance Model for the Wild Atlantic Way. Following their successful application, curator/producer Dani Gill and partner Brendan MacEvilly are developing the model with two strands.

Literary Performance Model Strand 2: To The Lighthouse Project Creative Director Dani Gill: Inspired by one of my favourite books, To the Lighthouse, I felt drawn to exploring these outposts around Ireland, their origins, and stories, and how they are beacons, to both those at sea and on land. I decided to focus on mapping inland, the mirrored distance of each lighthouse’s nautical miles to sea, drawing a circle around each one, and creating a ‘zone’, within which, an artistic project will exist.– ‘Dani Gill, Project Curator’. 

Watch The Lighthouse Project YouTube Videos and subscribe to the channel to see more as they are developed. 

Commissioning partners involved with the project include Cairde Arts Festival, (Sligo), Creative Ireland, (Mayo), Meath County Council, Droichead Arts Centre, (Louth) Cúirt International Festival of Literature (Galway), and Earagail Arts Festival (Donegal).

Find Out More About The Literary Performance Models HERE.

Find out more about the The Alphabet of Birds HERE.

A Wilde idea for Revitalisation of Enniskillen.

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Oscar Wilde Literary Tourism project launches in Co. Fermanagh

This week (10th May) sees the launch of the first phase of Wilde Island Town (WIT): Home of the Happy Prince, a Literary Tourism project which aims to stimulate new year-round tourism for County Fermanagh and to offer timely support for the revitalisation of the Enniskillen High Street.

The initial phase of the project will see the installation of 150 little swallows in gold leaf in and around Enniskillen centre, on the exterior facades of retail stores and community buildings including its schools.

According to Sean Doran Artistic Director of Arts Over Borders, the organisation delivering the project, the Swallows installation is a fitting start to the project as the swallow symbolises optimism and hope and builds upon Oscar Wilde’s association with Enniskillen. The number of swallows is also significant as 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of Wilde leaving Enniskillen where he had lived as a boarder at Portora Royal School from 1864-1871.

“Enniskillen was the longest Oscar Wilde lived anywhere outside his birthplace in Dublin and married years in London,” said Sean. “It is believed that his children’s story The Happy Prince was first inspired by Wilde looking out from his dormitory window at Portora Royal School across the island town to the opposite hill where stood Cole’s statue high above the town.

“This belief is the central tenet in an idea that will draw upon Wilde’s association with Enniskillen to drive tourism and help to revitalise the town and its surrounds as we move out of periods of lockdown that have impacted heavily on the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors.”

Literary Tourism is an emerging niche sector within the wider cultural tourism sector, where places with literary heritage offer author and fiction-related literary tourism opportunities, along with opportunities arising from literary festivals, trails and book shops. In Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland border counties, the potential for literary tourism is particularly rich and unparalleled worldwide through its literary heritage with Seamus Heaney, C S Lewis, W B Yeats, Brian Friel, Jonathan Swift, Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh and of course Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde school day associations in Enniskillen.

Bernie Mooney, Project Manager said, “significantly, this project is part of a wider European Initiative, the NPA funded Spot-lit programme, supporting economic development through the vehicle of literary tourism and Enniskillen will benefit greatly from the additional visibility and growth this will bring to the area.”

A key issue that Wilde Island Town will address is seasonality for Enniskillen and Fermanagh. The current reality is that it is principally a summer only tourism destination. Wilde Island Town aims to ignite the spark to transform the area in the future into a year-round 365-day tourism destination associated with Oscar Wilde. It will holistically connect place, events, performances, businesses and community.

Sally Rees, Project Support, who is working with local businesses and organisations on the installation, says that people across the town are delighted to be involved as they recognize that The Flight of The Little Golden Swallow will have a positive impact felt by the whole community.

“The project has already captured the collective imagination of people here and that is testament already to the power it will have. WIT will demonstrate how an entire urban town and community in all its facets of business, culture, education, tourism, services, leisure, hospitality industry, etc. can be holistically brought together and united under a single literary tourism concept, a case of the whole being made greater through this model than the sum of its parts.  It’s very exciting.”

Among those who have welcomed the project is Enniskillen’s Business Improvement Task Team. Commenting Noelle McAloon said: “Many of the town’s businesses have been affected by the lockdown and are very relieved now to be re-opening.  To the last one, the businesses who have been approached to become involved in the initiative are delighted by the innovation and artistry of the project and believe it will have a positive impact.”

The project builds on the work laid down by the Arts Over Borders destination literary tourism events in Enniskillen and Fermanagh on Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde that have been developed there since 2012. These are short 3-4 day festivals only and do not have the continuous year- round impact that Wilde Island Town seeks to develop. However, these existing Literary Tourism events have established the process of associating literary tourism with this part of the world.

The Alphabet of Birds Stage Show.

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The Alphabet of Birds Stage Show aired virtually at Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway . The show has been developed as part of the Spot-lit.eu Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Model.

This new audio-visual essay for stage written by Sara Baume includes live readings from Baume’s new essay and is interspersed with four short documentaries from Jamie Goldrick that feature artists Gary Coyle, Laura Fitzgerald, Sara Baume and Natalia Beylis. The essay and films are live scored by musicians Irene Buckley and Elaine Howley. (Watch The Video HERE)

The Alphabet of Birds is the second stage show from arts magazine and production company Holy Show.

‘The show will be touring throughout 2021 and early 2022. Check out the event page on Holy Show’s website for the latest dates and venues: https://holyshow.ie/the-alphabet-of-birds

 

Mutton Island Route: Self-guided Walking Tour Through Galway City.

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Come on a journey and find a new perspective on familiar paths. Guided by writer Sarah Maria Griffin, immersive theatre maker Máiréad Ní Chróinín and visual artist Shane O’Malley, you will follow a path featuring an audio tour, a bespoke zine and street art pieces, that maps a route from the Town Hall Theatre, Woodquay, to Mutton Island Lighthouse. Mutton Island is a small island located approximately 1km off the coast of Galway City, and is connected by to the mainland with a causeway.

Watch The Lighthouse Project YouTube Videos and subscribe to the channel to see more as they are developed. 

Follow the trail in Galway City, or map the trail onto your own familiar path anywhere around the world. The lighthouse is calling, the trail is designed to give space for reflection, and to encourage an experience of our city and its environment in a fresh light. This unique, interactive artwork is inspired by Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and the theme of personal journey.

The Lighthouse Project, developed by curator/producer Dani Gill, is an exploration of space and environment, and takes place in six counties in 2021, beginning in Galway. The Lighthouse Project is supported by The Western Development Commission through the Interreg Northern Periphery & Arctic Programme Spot-lit Project, The Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Council and is curated by Dani Gill. Cúirt International Festival of Literature is the Commissioning Partner of the Galway site.

‘’The concept works with the nautical miles out to sea of each lighthouse. By turning the outward radius inland, we create an internal zone where a project emerges…we want to take people on a journey, giving everyone a chance to be creative and explore an area in a new way’’.

To Access the Digital and Printed ‘Inland Radius Mutton Island Route’ Packs visit: https://www.danigill.com/mutton-island-route/ .

Find Out More About The Spot-lit Literary Models HERE. 

The Alphabet of Birds – Literary Performance Model.

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In May 2020, the Western Development Commission circulated a tender call for a creative partner to develop a Literary Tourism Performance Model for the Wild Atlantic Way.  Following their successful application, curator/producer Dani Gill and partner Brendan MacEvilly are developing the model with two strands. The model include an impressive list of partners who have signed up to take part in 2021, featuring The Lighthouse Project and the live stage show Autograph of Birds , as part of their programmes.

Literary Performance Model Strand 1: by Creative Director Brendan MacEvilly: A new audio-visual essay for stage written by Sara Baume. Live reading’s of Baume’s new essay is interspersed with four short documentaries from Jamie Goldrick which feature artists Gary Coyle, Laura Fitzgerald, Sara Baume and Natalia Beylis. The essay and films are set to live music performed by Howlbux.

Touring 2021 & 2022

25 April  |  Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway

3 July  |  Wexford Literary Festival

9 September  |  St John’s Theatre, Listowel

11 September  |  Ennis Book Club Festival, Glór

1 October  |  Linenhall, Castlebar

mid-October  |  Kildare Readers Festival

Spring 2022  |  Droichead Arts Centre

(more dates tba)

Event Outline

Sunday Mass and sea swimming; bird alphabets and stone collecting; Goya and Monet; the Stations of the Cross and the Sacred Heart of Jesus; bedrooms and bedsits; insomnia and parental love. Writer and artist Sara Baume covers wide ground in this spellbinding audio-visual essay. Ultimately, it’s a show about our obsessions and passions – the multitude of rituals that fill our daily lives with meaning.

The Alphabet of Birds is the second stage show from arts magazine and production company Holy Show, generously supported by The Arts Council of Ireland and the Western Development Commission through the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme Spot-lit Project.

Writer: Sara Baume

Musicians: Howlbux – Irene Buckley and Elaine Howley

Featured Artists: Natalia Beylis, Gary Coyle, Laura Fitzgerald

Films Director: Jamie Goldrick

Creative Director: Brendan Mac Evilly

Find Out More HERE.

Find out more about the Lighthouse Project HERE

Tender for ‘WILDETHINGS’ Project Management Support.

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The purpose of this tender is to engage Project Management support to assist in the delivery of Phase 1 & 2 of the WIT pilot project called ‘WILDETHINGS ‘.

Phase 1 & 2 ‘WILDETHINGS’ – Initially to include 3 key outcomes:

  1. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow Individual little swallow shapes in gold leaf decorating first & second floor outer walls of the high street shops, as a flight of swallows flowing through the town from Cole’s Monument (east) to the street (Round O) by Portora (west).
  2. Wilde At Heart Epigrams in High St. Shops 30-50 shops and businesses with a bespoke Wilde epigram created for each.
  3. Inter-Schools Education Project in Fermanagh – Engagement of schools with the WIT pilot project.

View Tender Document HERE (pdf).

Find Out More About Spot-lit Literary Tourism Models HERE

 

‘Elaine Columb: New Psycho-Geoscape fiction from the Irish Borderlands’.

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Elaine Columb grew up in the drumlin landscape of rural County Monaghan. She moved to London in the 1990s where she worked initially as a journalist on the Wandsworth Borough News. During this time she also became an active member of Green Ink Writers Group in Islington, where some of her earliest work was first aired. Elaine attained an honours degree in English Literature and American Studies from Brunel University in 1994.

In 1998 she moved to Scotland where she attained a PGCE in Secondary School Teaching from St Andrew’s College, Glasgow. Subsequently she taught English at various schools in Chippenham and Swindon in the South West of England.

Irish Border Landscape.

Elaine returned to Ireland in 2000 where she continued to work as an English teacher at Christian Brothers School in Omagh and at St Joseph’s College in Enniskillen. Whilst raising four young children, Elaine has continued to hone her writing craft, developing a range of emotionally moving thematic prose steeped in a strong sense of the Irish borderlands as a physical, imagined and living place.

Currently studying a full-time MA degree in Creative Writing at Queen’s University, Belfast, Elaine is simultaneously developing a new short story as well as working on her debut novel which addresses her core themes and concerns. These include issues which impact on women’s physical health and mental well-being, such as miscarriage and the menopause, areas that remain even today often overlooked and difficult to discuss. The mythological language of her contemporary prose is characterised by poetic intensity, emotional depth and love-noir. It occupies a genre that has been described as ‘psycho-geoscape fiction’, where the power of personality, place and the Irish psyche are harnessed to a lyrical and compelling confessional narrative.

Watch Elaine reading from her short story ‘Gola Hill’.

 

‘Byddi Lee:Landscape as a Character’

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Byddi Lee is an Irish author living in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Her first book March to November, set in modern-day Belfast, was published in 2014. In 2020, Castrum Press published all three books of her speculative fiction Rejuvenation Trilogy. Primarily set in Ireland, the trilogy spans locations such as California, France, Norway and Switzerland. Byddi is working on a new book focusing on how massive volcanic eruptions of Icelandic volcanoes affected life in Neolithic Ireland. This work-in-progress was inspired by Byddi’s research in the 1990s on the oak tree-ring chronology at Queen’s University Belfast.

Byddi has published flash fiction, short stories and co-founded and manages Flash Fiction Armagh, shortlisted as Best Regular Spoken Word Night in the Saboteur Awards in the UK. She co-edited the literary journal The Bramley – An Anthology of Flash Fiction Armagh, Volumes 1  and 2. Byddi co-wrote the play IMPACT – Armagh’s Train Disaster, a dramatization of the 1889 railway catastrophe that claimed 89 lives and changed policy and braking systems in rail transport worldwide. The play was staged on the anniversary of the tragedy in June 2019 in the Abbey Lane Theatre in Armagh. Byddi also was part of the writing team for Zoomeo & Juliet and Social Bubble, Toil & Trouble – live plays performed on Zoom by the Armagh Theatre during the lockdown.

Byddi is an Arts Council Northern Ireland supported writer and holds professional membership at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin.

Author website – www.ByddiLee.com

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