Category: Northern Ireland

WILDETHINGS Literary Framework Model.

Spot-lit Partner Arts Over Borders celebrate the Wilde and Beckett connection to Enniskillen with the launch of two new literary products. Oscar Wilde, with the installation of 150 gold-leaf swallows on buildings around central Enniskillen and close to the new mural of The Happy Prince by Jordan Shaw, and Beckett, with 64 black and white chess board squares in 64 separate indoor locations across Enniskillen.

Oscar Wilde, the playwright, poet and wit spent seven years (1864-71) in Enniskillen at Portora Royal School. His popular fairytale The Happy Prince was inspired by Ennniskillen’s Cole Monument that stands high above the town and that Wilde could see from his dormitory window. In the story the statue of the happy prince pleads with the little swallow to stay and distribute his jewels and gold leaf to town people to make them happy. The Happy prince bestowed kindness,compassion, love and empathy on the community.

Beckett who was facinated with the game of chess , it appears in his plays Endgame and play and the novel Murphy – is being marked with 64 black and white chess board squares in 64 separate indoor locations across Enniskillen. To coincide with Wilde’s birthday, on 16th October, 32 chess pieces sculpted in bronze by artist Alan Milligan were moved in a choreographed sequence across the town by volunteers, inspired by Beckett’s TV play Quad.

Download Follow The Swallow Guide in PDF HERE.

Download Beckett Chess Set PDF http://https://www.spot-lit.eu/wp-content/uploads/beckett-chess-set-map-1.pdf

HIGH above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince.
He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold,
for eyes he had two bright sapphires,
and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.
(THE HAPPY PRINCE fairy tale opening lines by Oscar Wilde pub 1888).

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

Strabane BID Company was set up in 2016 to increase the prosperity of Strabane town by delivering a programme of events and supports to encourage people to live, shop and visit the town. This is delivered via three strands – supporting local businesses, accessing finance and delivering an arts and culture calendar of events for the town. In addition to supporting local musicians and artists through our annual festivals and events, it was recognised that further development was needed on the literary tourism offering. Strabane has a rich culture of poets and literary greats, including the greatly talented and globally celebrated Flann O’Brien and the Strabane BID wanted to celebrate his work and showcase his heritage.

With support from the Spot-lit project, a programme of events will be developed to celebrate Flann O’Brien and his work. This project has the potential to become a very significant cultural tourism product for Strabane as Brian O’Nolan / Flann O’Brien / Myles Na Gcopaleen is a literary figure of international renown and his birth place originates within the Bowling Green Square of Strabane Town. It is envisaged that the project programme will be launched in October as this is the month of Brian O’Nolans birth and will be hosted in various venues across Strabane Town. These connections will be explored and exploited through music, drama, heritage and discussion. A programme of literary initiatives will be developed to celebrate the life of Flann O’Brien (Myles Na Gcopaleen) and his world-renowned works. These will build on the grass roots appreciation of the author, as well as developing school and community group workshops, and completing a hiking trail.

The Armagh Rhymers Literary Trail.

Based on a piece of original art by Dara Vallely, ‘Macha, The Horse Goddess’ The Armagh Literary Trail takes you through some of the most important literary locations in and around Armagh City, told through the work of the Rhymers.

Each icon featured on Macha represents a different literary location around Armagh, click through to read more about them and how they have featured in or influenced the work of the Rhymers. Play videos of Rhymers performances at that location or listen to audio recordings of poetry or music.

The Eye represents Aonach Mhacha the cultural hub based in the historic shambles which is home to the Armagh Rhymers.

Brian Boru’s crown leads you to the walls of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland cathedral which stands next to the Robinson Library.

Musicians play their tunes, whether on the bodhrán, the uilleann pipes or the Lambeg Drum, telling stories passed down through the ages.

⛪ The Holy Man takes you to Armagh’s famous cathedrals and St Patrick’s College alumnus John Montague who wrote of his time as a boarder in the school.

🌠 The astronomer looks to the skies to tell his story, as John Hewitt wrote “Over us all is the self-same sky and who shall mock at the steadfast stone.”

⚔️ The chariot takes you to ancient Emain Macha and the Horse Goddess from whom Armagh got it’s name.

🥁 The Lambeg Drummer represents Orange Heritage and the Mumming & Drumming project.

🍎 The orchard celebrates the Orchard county and the Wassail, Blossom & Load.

🖊️And of course, the writer who holds a pen in one hand and a mirror in the other, reflecting the vibrant literary heritage that continues in Armagh to this day.

Follow the Literary Trail HERE

Courtesy of The Armagh Rhymers.

This project was developed as part of the spot-lit.eu program.

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.’.

Russell, from Lurgan, was one of Ireland’s most important public figures over the period 1895-1930, a celebrated writer, poet and painter. He became the intellectual powerhouse of his time and the key figure in Ireland’s cultural revival.

The festival includes various talks and a historic walking tour as well as poetry readings and ‘open mic’ nights. As Russell was a fantastic artist as well as poet, author, editor and publisher, the Festival includes exhibitions of his art.

The Spot-lit helped to build the AE Annual Festival in Lurgan to be a successful and sustainable literary tourism offering. The first step was to establish a strong online presence. Spot-lit also helped to create a literary hub based on AE’s myriad literary connections within a 20-30 mile radius of Lurgan working with the support of the John Hewitt Society.

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. Patrick writes ‘oh would kind fate where brave men lived, let joy once more prevail. With the children’s merry laughter, ringing on the evening gale’. Coincidently, the glens of Lanavoye make up the 100 acres of rugged picturesque countryside, where Todd’s Leap is based. Patrick’s vision was adopted by Ben as the vision for Todd’s Leap and along with his wife & four children, Ben would set about creating an outdoor attraction, that would welcome people back to ‘Lanavoye’ and joy would once more prevail with merry laughter ringing through the glen.

With the assistance of the Spot-lit project, Todd’s Leap will host a seven-day, free admission poetry festival with guest speakers, readings, activities, old traditions, music, food stalls, story-telling, trails workshops, and poetry competitions. An outdoor literacy schools’ programmes will be developed, which combine creativity and literacy in an instructor-led outdoor environment. The programmes will include outdoor trails, storytelling, poetry reading, reading and writing activities, outdoor adventure activities and drama workshops. A Writers’ retreats will also be developed, hosted by writers Shirley Rocks and Eddie McClenaghan, that will offer sanctuary in peaceful log cabins to allow writers to create their own work and come together with like-minded writers. They will also be given the opportunity to explore the works of Patrick Farrell and other local writers.

The Light Theatre Company – Bloomsday Festival.

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.

The Spot-lit project assisted in the development and delivery of a new Bloomsday Festival in Rostrevor, County Down. It also expanded local links associated with CS Lewis, Charles Dickens and Seamus Heaney. The Light Theatre Company viewed the Spot-lit project as an opportunity to capitalise on the literary and creative heritage and potential of Rostrevor and County Down as a tourism generator.

Despite the lockdown a collection of readings from Ulysses were presented online in 2021. View the programme on The Light Theatre Company You Tube Channel. In addition a series of pop i readings took place outside the Rostrevor Book Club.

Droimnín Creative-Bespoke Literary Tours in Co Cavan.

Droimnín Creative is a new business established with the intention of providing specialised tourism initiatives working with a range of stakeholders throughout County Cavan – from the Chamber of Commerce, adventure centres, genealogy, museums, heritage, accommodation sector, theatres, and all artists.

The Spot-lit project assisted in the development of bespoke literary tours to the domestic, European, and International ‘culturally curious’ tourist. The tours explore Cavan’s rich literary heritage through a culturally packed experience of art, music, drama, the virtual and the adventurous reality.

The trails follows writers of the past and their ties to Cavan; Dean Jonathan Swift, Brinsley Sheridan, Charlotte Brook and the more contemporary names of Tom MacIntyre, Dermot Healy and Michael Harding. Events also offer avant garde exhibitions from young award-winning artists and a chance to take part in workshops on sculpture, ceramics, contemporary crafts as well as participating in literary performances that combine music with the spoken word. Droimnín Destinations offer workshops that combine poetry, art and place in unique Irish traditional settings that explore Cavan in its richest literary and artistic sense. Input from the community and local businesses sector have realised a totally distinctive experience for the intelligent traveller.

Iniskeen Enterprise Development Group – Patrick Kavanagh Literature Project

The Patrick Kavanagh Centre is a visitor experience and performance space dedicated to the life and work of one of Ireland’s greatest poets, Patrick Kavanagh. The centre in Inniskeen, County Monaghan, is housed in a former Roman Catholic church, St Mary’s. This building, which dates from 1820, was deconsecrated in 1974 when a new parish church was built. It is newly refurbished and opened to the public in 2020.

The visitor experience includes a series of six memory boxes augmented by touch-screen terminals, each dealing with a period or aspect of Kavanagh’s life and work. The centrepiece of the experience is a stunningly evocative 15-minute film featuring readings of Kavanagh’s poetry.

With support from the Spot-lit project, a cluster of authentic experiences have been created, using literature as a theme – for visitors to enjoy over a day/ two days in this rural area. The Kavanagh Centre, which tells the story of the poet himself, his life, work and the influences that shaped his writing is the central ‘experience’ in this cluster.

There has been substantial investment in the new Visitor Experience in the Kavanagh Centre recently and the Group’s view is that the key to the success of the Centre is to further integrate it with the Kavanagh Trail and Kavanagh Country more widely, as a pivotal element of a rural tourism cluster, better combining with other priority segments of the market to give wider appeal, including heritage, food and drink, walking and cycling.

Find Out More About The Kavanagh Centre HERE.

Digital Apps to Explore the Culture of The NPA Region.

The Kainuu region of Finland has led the way with the development of Digital Applications to showcase the rich literary assets across the four partner regions. The Regional Council has worked closely with the local university, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences to pioneer the use of digital technology to help literary tourism business tell their story at home and abroad and promote Literary Tourism.

Download the Apps for Android HERE

Download the Apps for iPhone HERE

Young People’s Literary Tourism Framework Model-Scotland.

In south-west Scotland, Spot-lit partner Wigtown Festival Company continue to develop their child-and family-centred literature model. Story Book Dumfries – as it is now called – aims to establish the main town of Dumfries & Galloway as Scotland’s home of children’s literature, a destination for families to visit and a national cultural resource.

The Wigtown team has taken inspiration from the recent establishment of Scotland’s new National Centre for Children’s Literature at Moat Brae House, where Peter Pan author JM Barrie played as a child. But Story Book Dumfries is not tied to any one organisation. It offers a platform for a wide range of partners who believe in the power of children’s literature to inspire and bring tangible benefits (economic, cultural, social and educational) to the Dumfries community and beyond.

While Moat Brae House closed due to Covid, the team have concentrated on building links with other leading organisations, such as Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival and The Stove artists’ network. The next steps will be to commission a website, a city-centre visual arts project and an inaugural children’s literature conference to take place in January 2022. Delivery of activity is planned to align with Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, a nation-wide umbrella festival that celebrates the country’s storytelling heritage.