Samhlú - Seeing Things
Reimagining the past, present and future of small Irish towns, to make them more more liveable for all, organised by Westport Civic Trust
Welcome to Samhlú!
Samhlú is the act of imagining or creating something new. Through a range of speakers, tours and creative workshops, Westport Civic Trust, together with UCD Centre for Irish Towns, hope to explore the question whether the material culture of small Irish towns can be used to inform more liveable, manageable futures for everybody
The day will begin with Orla Murphy of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns leading a tour of the town, looking at the Mayday ritual of placing flowers on the doorstep in Westport. The keynote speaker will be Síle de Cléir of the University of Limerick, who will look at the role industries like textiles and the impact popular religious culture had on the formation of small towns like Westport. Other themes for the day will include dereliction and vacancy, shopfronts, public space, climate change, inclusion and accessibility among others. . Other speakers will include Nessa Cronin (UG), Fiona White (ATU), Karen Keaveney (UCD), Laura Earley, Philip Crowe (UCD), Stephen Wall (UCD), Mayo Traveller Movement, Victoria Durrer (UCD and more.
Following the talkas, there will be a choice of one from the following: a writing workshop on Words and Places led by poet and artist Alice Lyons; a visual art workshop led by multimedia artist and florist Tom Brawn; a visit to the former Convent of Mercy site, courtesy of the Architects' Office of Mayo County Council; and a walk exploring historical power relations as expressed in the physical geography of the town. The day will end with a general discussion of the ideas raised, followed by the launch of the Westport Civic trust website.
Reimagining the past, present and future of small Irish towns, to make them more more liveable for all, organised by Westport Civic Trust
Welcome to Samhlú!
Samhlú is the act of imagining or creating something new. Through a range of speakers, tours and creative workshops, Westport Civic Trust, together with UCD Centre for Irish Towns, hope to explore the question whether the material culture of small Irish towns can be used to inform more liveable, manageable futures for everybody
The day will begin with Orla Murphy of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns leading a tour of the town, looking at the Mayday ritual of placing flowers on the doorstep in Westport. The keynote speaker will be Síle de Cléir of the University of Limerick, who will look at the role industries like textiles and the impact popular religious culture had on the formation of small towns like Westport. Other themes for the day will include dereliction and vacancy, shopfronts, public space, climate change, inclusion and accessibility among others. . Other speakers will include Nessa Cronin (UG), Fiona White (ATU), Karen Keaveney (UCD), Laura Earley, Philip Crowe (UCD), Stephen Wall (UCD), Mayo Traveller Movement, Victoria Durrer (UCD and more.
Following the talkas, there will be a choice of one from the following: a writing workshop on Words and Places led by poet and artist Alice Lyons; a visual art workshop led by multimedia artist and florist Tom Brawn; a visit to the former Convent of Mercy site, courtesy of the Architects' Office of Mayo County Council; and a walk exploring historical power relations as expressed in the physical geography of the town. The day will end with a general discussion of the ideas raised, followed by the launch of the Westport Civic trust website.
Good to know
Highlights
- 7 hours
- In-person
- Doors at 9:45 am
Refund Policy
Location
Old Dunnes Stores
Castlebar Street
Westport
How would you like to get there?
Agenda
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Flower walk
A guided walk, exploring the Westport ritual of putting wildflowers on the threshold for Bealtaine, starting at the Wyatt Hotel, the Octagon, and finishing at the venue. The walk will be led by Orla Murphy of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns, who has documented the ritual for many years.
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Short talks
The keynote will be by Síle de Cléir, looking at popular culture,industry, and the function of towns, setting the themes for the day, followed by Nessa Cronin on planned towns, colonialism and mapping the future; Karen Keaveney on situating small towns in their rural settings; Victoria Durrer on cultural policy, people and place; Philip Crowe on building stories and mapping vacancies; Stephen Wall on the New European Bauhaus and small Irish towns; Laura earley on the mosaic shopfronts of Roscommon; the Mayo Traveller Movement on the future of Travellers in small towns, their culture and heritage; and Fiona White on the Big House, heritage and culture.
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Workshops and tours
You will be able to choose one from the following options: A creative writing workshop on the theme of Words & Place will be led by Alice Lyons, poet and visual artist; A visual arts workshop working with flowers will be led by Tom Brawn, multimedia artist and florist; A guided visit to the former Convent of Mercy site, hosted by the Architect’s Office at Mayo County Council; A short tour of Westport, exploring historical power relations as expressed in the physical geography of the town, led by John Mulloy of the Westport Civic Trust