Askeaton Ballysteen Natural Heritage, 2022
Creators of the Eco Showboat expeditions in 2022 and 2023, artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly aka School of Looking, invite you to join them at the Ballymacraven River in Ennistymon this summer. The project, called Catchments 2025, has received a Research Ireland Discover Award and aims to increase awareness and understanding of fresh water biodiversity along this rich West Clare waterway. The artists will spend 2 days at ‘The Glen’ engaging in citizen science activities and making art.
Anne and Denis are on location at the Glen in Ennistymon to walk, talk and learn with LAWPRO Officer Ruairí O Conchuir and Fisheries Officer Bill Keane. These conversations will result in a film to be screened later in the programme.
A DAY OUT AT THE GLEN*
(detailed programme tbc)
Workshops to include:
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MAY
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME
JUNE*
JULY*
*Exact date to be decided
NOVEMBER*
*Exact date to be decided
CATCHMENTS 2025 is supported by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland* Discover Award, Creative Ireland, The Department of Education, Clare County Council Arts Office and the UCD Earth Institute.
*Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland is the new national research and innovation funding agency, established on the 1st August 2024 through the amalgamation of the activities and functions of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Irish Research Council (IRC).
CATCHMENTS 2025 is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-government five-year initiative, from 2023 to 2027, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Further information from creativeireland.gov.ie.
The seven bodies of water we are studying in CATCHMENTS 2025:
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•The Liffey Head Bog in County Wicklow
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•The Dodder River in South Dublin County
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•The Boyne River in County Meath
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•Lough Muckno in County Monaghan
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•The ‘old’ River Shannon at University of Limerick
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•The Ballymacraven River at Ennistymon, Co. Clare
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•The Lee Fields by the Weir and the Old Cork Waterworks in Cork City
JUNE*
JULY*
*Exact date to be decided
Writing / Poetry / Spoken Word
Workshop series with Maeve Stone
(detailed programme tbc)
CATCHMENTS SHOWCASE EVENT
SCIENCE WEEK(detailed programme tbc)
Finale event including presentations/readings by participating children, scientific talks and screening of short film.
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NATURE SQUARED
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A combined nature survey and macrophotography workshop. A quadrat is a square frame commonly used as a tool to investigate the abundance of plants and/or animals in a habitat. Cleary and Connolly will be working with participants to survey important species, document findings and make stunning art using macro-photography, while contributing to important nature monitoring programmes by submitting data to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
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BEE COUNTED!
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Flower-Insect Timed Counts (FIT Counts) are a really useful way that people can help environmentalists monitor pollinators and contribute to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.
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Using the same quadrats from Nature Squared, the team will count, photograph and video pollinators while recording the sounds of the different insects to create a “pollinator symphony” sound recording that will accompany the visual artworks. Data gathered will be submitted to national pollinator monitoring scheme.
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HAVE YOU SEEN THESE LADIES?
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A nature walk and “treasure hunt” with Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly.
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The National Biodiversity Data Centre are compiling a Ladybird Atlas 2025, gathering sightings of ladybirds all over Ireland to address a gap in our knowledge in the status of this important species. Native species are threatened by an invasive species, the Harlequin. During this relaxed walk join the artists in spotting and identifying ladybirds of all kinds, taking amazing macro photographs of these gorgeous creatures, and submitting the data to the NBDC to contribute to the important ongoing survey.
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