Kildare artists and creatives feature in first ever guide for wetlands communities

A number of Kildare artists and creatives are featured in the first ever guide for wetlands communities involved in creative projects, in a bid to engage and enthuse local people to get involved in the protection and preservation of Kildare’s rich wetlands.

‘A Guide for Wetlands Communities Engaging in Creative projects’ is an innovative publication by the ‘Communities Wetlands Forum’, established to promote our wetlands and peatlands, some 13,000 of which are dotted throughout Ireland, through community collaboration and integration, and through the provision of a platform for local people to get involved in the many conservation projects in their areas.

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The compilation of the ‘Guide for Wetland Communities Engaging in Creative Projects’ is a seen as a major step forward in bringing Kildare’s wetlands communities together in shared purpose that has important ecological, societal and cultural benefits.

Works from Sheena Malone, an Artist and Curator from Allenwood, Pamela de Brí from Prosperous together with Geraldine Smyth and Monica de Bath are included in the guide, the first of its type in Ireland.

Monica de Bath says: “As one of the few remaining bog remnants in Europe, every bit of Irish bogland (sphagnum presence) holds immense value in terms of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and cultural heritage. Our remnant bog is still growing sphagnum.

“Community Wetlands Forum plays a crucial role. Joining forces with other like-minded individuals and organisations helps to amplify our voices and increase our capacity to influence policy and decision-making processes.

“This issue should be a strategic priority. Protecting the boglands is vital for future generations, as they serve as natural carbon sinks and contribute to mitigating climate change. Our bog remnants are gold and need to be considered as such. It’s just so precious, not just for our village, but for the whole world.

She added: “As a member of Creative Rathangan Meitheal, (Co. Kildare) I lead out our annual Beyond the classroom schools programme in partnership with IPCC (Irish Peatland Conservation Council).

“Joining forces with other like-minded individuals and organisations helps to amplify our voices and increase our capacity to influence policy and decision-making processes”.

Sheena Malone is an artist and curator whose practice focuses on aspects of rural life, local history and folklore, in particular that of her home village of Allenwood situated in the Bog of Allen. 

Her interests lie in creating projects that offer a platform for discussion and discovery through engagement with art, culture & community, & projects which broaden the scope of the exhibition beyond conventional spaces for display.

Since spring 2024, she has been collaborating with Shane Hynan and Pamela de Brí on ‘Tóch I Dig’, an intergenerational community project focusing on the bogland of north Kildare.

She says: “Growing up in Allenwood, the bog permeated so many aspects of local life. At times, the bog seems a forgotten and unseen landscape, not traditionally visited by tourists for its beauty, somewhere incidental you drive through on your way to the next town.

“It was a place that was feared in folklore and in recent history a place that was plundered for its peat rather than enjoyed for its flora & fauna. It presided over how & where you spent your summers, where local people were employed and it guided the small talk that created community ties. The bog preserves what it swallows and many of the artefacts in the National Museum of Ireland owe their existence to its anaerobic environment.

“Many treasures are still to be excavated, not only archaeological objects but our project hopes to uncover the richness of the intangible cultural heritage & oral history specific to communities with strong connections to the bog. In this time of rapid transition, as we move towards more sustainable forms of energy, it is a time-sensitive endeavour before memories fade and disappear”. 

Pamela de Brí, a Multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in Irish heritage, history and language thorough project-based research, the combination of oral histories and historical investigation.

She has cycled through North Kildare in a bid to record a fascinating compilation of local stories and producing photos of the local boglands and canal side communities.

She says: “I've always believed that everybody has a story, and if I can help to get those stories out then I am doing something to add to social history. There is a real danger of people’s stories being forgotten, in the same way as photos are rarely printed now, people write less often, and often communities, young and old, don't have time to listen to each other.

“I like to gather stories because not only are they being kept for posterity, but life is also changing so fast, work practises are being forgotten, or lost, or unknown”.

Through Tóch I Dig, Pamela focuses on preserving traditional landscapes, work practices and voices connected to the landscape.

Geraldine Smyth specialises in sculpture, heritage straw craft and basketry.

She described the boglands of Lullymore and Umeras as her “safe place” and a constant source of inspiration. Her most recent work takes inspiration from local folklore around St. Brigid and the white wolf.