Work of two local groups preserved in Other Stories Cultural Heritage & Society book
THE invaluable work Mayo and Galway organisations are doing to research, revive and archive native craft heritage, enhance tourism and celebrate culture and identity is celebrated in a new book, copies of which are now available for free.
The positive impact the Great Western Greenway and Headford Lace Project are having is celebrated in a new Other Stories, Cultural Heritage & Society book, which was officially launched at the Museum of Country Life, Turlough Park.
The community-based Headford Lace Project has done Trojan work to research, revive and reimagine local lacemaking heritage, which has its roots in Headford in circa 1766.
The impact of Ireland’s first ever greenway, the Great Western Greenway, is also celebrated in the beautifully crafted book launched in the presence of the local groups and representatives of International Council on Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) Ireland and more.
ICOMOS Ireland funded the free book which showcases the work and importance of 15 culture, heritage and society projects on the island of Ireland and gives a voice to those involved in the form of personal reflections.
Kathleen McMahon of the Headford Lace Project said the publication and book tour events are important. “We are what we come from and if we don’t stand up to preserve our heritage it will be lost and then we lose part of ourselves. It is also important to remember the people that have gone before us,” she commented.
The launch is part of a nationwide tour which also visits Fermanagh and ends in Dublin in late November. Free copies of Other Stories are available at each event, thanks to support and funding from the Heritage Council, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company.
The specially selected projects included in the book are X-PO, 14 Henrietta Street, The Bridge Street Project, Kilmuckridge Song Project, Diamond War Memorial, Foyle Punt, Meitheal Mara, Battles, Bricks and Bridges, Headford Lace Project, Great Western Greenway, Irish Seed Savers, Thomastown Community River Trust, Bi Urban, Migrant Women: Shared Experiences, and Missling on the Tobar.
The tour, coordinated by Workhouse Union, continues in Arney in Fermanagh on November 10 and ends in Dublin on November 24. Events are co-produced with local hosts and include a mixture of talks, community engagement workshops and hospitality and the public is invited to attend.
For more about the publication itself, visit https://workhouseunion.com/project/other-stories-cultural-heritage-and-society/.