Imbolc, Spring and St Brigid's Day greetings

Happy Brigid's Day.

Here's a beautiful poem to reflect on by our very own Rose Moran who came to our Brigid's Cross and Weaving Workshop last Saturday and shared it with us. 

Imbolc Blessings.

Longford's Ancient Ways launch

We are delighted to announce a date for the launch of our book Longford's Ancient Ways, a celebration of the beauty and heritage of Longford through imagery, story, and lore. 

Celebrate the mythology, folklore, and biodiversity of our lovely Longford with us on the 7th November at 7pm in Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre. Our long-time friend and colleague from many ventures, Pat Kelleher, will be saying a few kind words on the day. All welcome and all invited to purchase a book which we hope you will enjoy for many a year to come.

We are delighted to announce that we are now taking pre-orders for our new book Longford's Ancient Ways. The book is a celebration of our county's mythology, folklore and biodiversity as we look at how the ancient festivals of Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lúnasa continue to be celebrated from times past to today. Launching it on the eve of the first Bank Holiday to celebrate St Brigid's Day makes it even more special as we now have a public holiday to mark each of the turnings of the seasons.

The book is a visual feast, full of our photos and illustrations as well as our words and stories. Watch this space for more details over the coming weeks. Pre-order your copy here.

Heritage in Schools bookings

Now taking bookings for visits to schools between September and December through the Heritage in Schools scheme: www.heritageinschools.ie. Ann or Annette can come to your school for one day, or if you book five sessions with the same specialist the fifth visit is free. Choose from Storytelling and mythology; Life in the Iron Age; Exploring your Townland or Biodiversity in the school garden.

www.heritageinschools.ie/heritage-expert/profile/ann-gerety-smyth

www.heritageinschools.ie/heritage-expert/profile/annette-corkery

 

Storytelling and mythology

Scéalta Beo come in Celtic costume and have props and visual aids to enhance their storytelling. Mythology and storytelling helped our ancestors understand and deal with crisis, which makes them very important tools in this era of climate change. We tell many of the ancient stories of the Tuatha Dé Dannan our favourite being the local legend of Midir and Etain. Midir was known as a judge and given the task of restoring the balance which is very relevant to the times we live in.

 

Life in the Iron Age

Interactive practical activities, discussions and stories combine to demonstrate what life was like in Iron Age/Early Medieval Ireland. The session(s) can cover aspects of society and every day activities: buildings, clothing, jewellery and metalwork, food, biodiversity, games such as fidchell, weaving, foraging, natural dyeing, Brehon Laws including the importance of trees, fire festivals and ogham script.

 

Exploring your Townland

Discover all you need to research and explore your townland: delve into its history, find out the meaning of its name and look at local built and natural heritage close up. Using this as inspiration create your own art or writing based on what you learn.

longfordtownlandsart.blogspot.ie

 

Biodiversity in the school garden

Whether you want to design a vegetable garden from scratch, develop sensory areas, get guidance for the Biodiversity Green Flag or just look closely at native trees, mini-beasts or animal habitats around your school, Scéalta Beo can help you explore and creatively interact with the outdoor learning environment, getting hands-on experience and connecting with the living stories all around us.

See our award-winning biodiversity videos here: scealtabeo.blogspot.com/p/restoring-balance.html

 

 

Midir and Etain visit Ardagh and Corlea this Sunday

Link to the Midir and Etain Trail on Google Earth

Join us in Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre from 12 to 1pm and in Corlea Trackway Centre from 3 to 4pm on Sunday 21st for a fun-filled retelling of the tale of Midir, Etain, Eochaidh, some games of fidchell and a road in the bog.

Joint event with Corlea for Heritage Week

 Tochmarc Étaíne - The Wooing of Etain
21 August, 12pm - 1pm & 3pm - 4pm
A jointly hosted event by Creative Ardagh / Scealta Beo and Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre/OPW.
An imaginative, humorous adaption of the epic love story of Midir & Etain for you to enjoy.
This is the story of the fierce, handsome Midir, of the Tuatha de Danann, and Etaín, the most beautiful woman in Ireland.
A tale of love, jealousy, loss, magic, shape shifting, Fidchell, impossible tasks and a giant causeway of Oak .
Performed by local actors, Scéalta Beo & Clann Chorr Re-enactors in two acts.
Act 1: Midir, Etain & Bri Leith,
Time: 12.00pm - 1.00pm
Venue: Ardagh Heritage & Creativity Centre and Grounds.
Act 2: Midir, Etain, Eochaidh & The Trackway
Time: 3.00pm - 4.00pm
Venue: Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre
A two hour break is included to facilitate travel from Ardagh to Corlea via the Midir & Etain Trail & Food.
Both Mac's Shack &  Foigha Bar serve delicious meals while 2 Mugs Coffee Trailer offers coffee, teas, light refreshments at Mosstown Harbour. 
We encourage audience participation so why not  dress up and join in the fun. 
No booking required. Open to all ages but children must be supervised at both venues.
For further information please contact the Visitor Centre at 043 3322386/corlea@opw.ie or Ardagh Heritage & Creativity Centre 086 3027602 / creativeardagh@gmail.com

Annual Bilberry Sunday walk

The annual Bilberry Sunday walk takes place on 31st July 2022 in association with Crúthu Arts Festival. Join us for some or all of the celebrations: 

11am

Meet at Ardagh GAA Pitch and follow our local guide and wealth of knowledge Brendan Farrell of Ardagh Village Landscapes along the Brí Leith Walk. We will be accompanied by our local Celtic Re-enactors Clann Chorr and Scéalta Beo storytellers.

1pm (ish)

Everyone is welcome to picnic in the garden of the Neighbourhood Park at Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre. Don't forget to bring your picnic blankets and picnic!

2pm

Our special guest this year is Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland who will give a talk about the important connections between Brí Léith (Ardagh) and Newgrange as they are found in the romantic tale Tochmarc Étaín (the Wooing of Étaín).

Anthony has been studying the mythology of the Brú na Bóinne complex for over 20 years and has found some fascinating material in the old stories. He is an author, tour guide and photographer from Drogheda. He has published nine books inspired by the mythology and archaeology of the great prehistoric monuments of the Boyne Valley. In 2018, he discovered the remains of a giant late Neolithic henge close to Newgrange. He curates the Mythical Ireland website and social media channels and broadcasts a weekly livestream. He has appeared as an expert on the Boyne Valley on the History Channel, National Geographic, Discovery Science and Channel 4.

Heritage in Schools bookings

We are delighted to now be taking bookings for visits to schools through the Heritage in Schools scheme. Between February and June Ann or Annette can come to your school and guide you and your students through one of our fun-filled, interactive heritage workshop sessions. The scheme aims to raise awareness and to help children and their teachers appreciate their local heritage by engaging with it in a meaningful way. Place-based learning in the outdoor classroom is also encouraged.

Visits are part-funded by the Heritage Council so the cost to the school for a full day with a heritage specialist is only €100 (€60 for DEIS schools) and half day visits are €60 (€40 for DEIS schools). If you book the same specialist for 5 sessions the 5th visit is free for the school.

Contact us at creativeardagh@gmail.com to arrange a date in advance, then book your visit through the Heritage in Schools website.

Storytelling and Mythology

Scéalta Beo come in Celtic costume and have props and visual aids to enhance their storytelling. Mythology and storytelling helped our ancestors understand and deal with crisis, which makes them very important tools in this era of climate change. We tell many of the ancient stories of the Tuatha Dé Dannan our favourite being the local legend of Midir and Etain. Midir was known as a judge and given the task of restoring the balance which is very relevant to the times we live in.

https://scealtabeo.blogspot.com/

 

Life in the Iron Age

Interactive practical activities, discussions and stories combine to demonstrate what life was like in Iron Age/Early Medieval Ireland. The session(s) can cover aspects of society and every day activities: buildings, clothing, jewellery and metalwork, food, biodiversity, games such as fidchell, weaving, foraging, natural dyeing, Brehon Laws including the importance of trees, fire festivals and ogham script.

https://kingatthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

 

Exploring your Townland

Discover all you need to research and explore your townland: delve into its history, find out the meaning of its name and look at local built and natural heritage close up. Using this as inspiration create your own art or writing based on what you learn.  

http://longfordtownlandsart.blogspot.com/

 

 

Biodiversity in the school garden 

Whether you want to design a vegetable garden from scratch, develop sensory areas, get guidance for the Biodiversity Green Flag or just look closely at native trees, mini-beasts or animal habitats around your school, Scéalta Beo can help you explore and creatively interact with the outdoor learning environment, getting hands-on experience and connecting with the living stories all around us. 

www.heritageweek.ie/projects/restoring-the-balance; http://ardaghtreefairies.blogspot.com

Samhain at Corlea

 

We had a wonderful day storytelling in Corlea Trackway Centre recently as part of their Samhain celebrations. We got to entertain the crowd with tales of Samhain past and present and of course we told them all about Midir, keeper of the Veil between this world and the Otherworld. He comes from Brí Leith in Ardagh, and he made the Bog Road in Corlea. We also included the story of his Cranes of In-hospitality, along with warnings about the Púca spitting on fruit at this time of year and how to avoid being taken for a long, scary ride. Everyone wailed like a banshee and listened to how to identify other creatures of Samhain who we later met on the walk to Mosstown Harbour.  

We also talked of life in our crannóg, surrounded by our protection circle of Rowan, Mugwort, Yarrow and Marshmallow, and met some of the characters from Midir and Etain, An Táin and Diarmuid and Gráinne which all have Samhain connections. 

Our horse disguised as the Púca travelled all the way from Ardagh to Mosstown too, we hope he didn't take anyone along on his back.

We look forward to more adventures with Clann Chorr in the future.

Seed, plant and story swap

As part of the Restoring the Balance project for Heritage Week we held a seed, plant and story swap event on Sunday 22nd August 2021. The event coincided with the 10th Anniversary of Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre and was the first in person event since February 2020. A lovely, entertaining afternoon was had and this video captures a few moments from the event. Thank you to all who attended from near and far and shared their knowledge, stories, plants and seeds.

Forest Gardens

This is the eighth video in the Restoring the Balance series for Heritage Week. It takes a look at what makes a forest garden, or food forest, such an abundant, productive and beautiful place. 

 

Video filming and graphics by Annette Corkery.

 

 #forestgarden #forestgardening #foodforest #permacultureireland #permaculturedesign #permaculture #ardagh #longfordheritage #heritageweek2021 #seedheritage #creativeardagh #biodiversity #localfood #foodsecurity #Openthedoortoheritage #ScéaltaBeo #ecosystems

 

Pond life

The seventh video in the Restoring the Balance series for Heritage Week looks at the importance of garden pond habitats for increasing biodiversity. 

Video footage and graphics by Annette Corkery.

Celebrate the hawthorn tree

There are many myths and folktales associated with the hawthorn tree, which looks amazing in full bloom in hedgerows in May and June. This sixth video in the Restoring the Balance series for Heritage Week is a call to celebrate it as our national tree. 

Written and narrated by Ann Gerety Smyth. Video by Annette Corkery 

#HeritageWeek2021 #openthedoortoheritage #restoringthebalance #celebratehawthorn #longfordheritage #ardagh 

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/celebrate-the-hawthorn-make-it-our-national-flowering-tree