1. WALKSHOPS

  2. With poet Colm Keegan

  3. Creative writing / story telling

  4. 11am-1:30pm, Saturday 12th / 19th / 26th July


  6. An award winning writer and poet from South Dublin, Colm has developed a particular connection with the Dodder which he will share with budding writers who are willing to take on myths and realities of an urban river, walking through perceptions and memories of the river’s course through the neighbourhoods of Colm’s home town.

https://vimeo.com/1071054363

Creators of the Eco Showboat expeditions in 2022 and 2023, Artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly aka School of Looking, are collaborating with the Firhouse CRC, Dodder Action and poet Colm Keegan to increase awareness and understanding of fresh water biodiversity  along the Dodder River at Firhouse this summer. The project, called Catchments 2025 - The Dodder, has received a Research Ireland Discover Award. It is a Citizen Art and Science project aiming to bring communities together to foster preservation of fresh waterbodies in County Dublin. The artists will spend 2 days on the banks of the Dodder engaging in citizen science activities and making art with adults attending the Firhouse CRC and the local Men’s Shed.

Anne and Denis are on location at Firhouse on the River Dodder, to walk, talk and learn with invertebrate biologist Marcin Penk and with members of Dodder Action. These conversations will result in a film to be screened later in the programme.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME 

30 APRIL

1 MAY

CATCHMENTS 2025 is supported by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland* Discover Award, Creative Ireland, The Department of Education, South Dublin County Council Arts Office, 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.


A DAY OUT ON THE DODDER

In collaboration with Firhouse CRC and Dodder Action

A full day* on site monitoring biodiversity and making art with adults with disabilities attending Firhouse CRC. 

Provisional programme for the day:

JULY*

*Exact date to be decided

The seven bodies of water we are studying in CATCHMENTS 2025:

  1. •The Liffey Head Bog in County Wicklow

  2. •The Dodder River in South Dublin County

  3. •The Boyne River in County Meath

  4. •Lough Muckno in County Monaghan

  5. •The ‘old’ River Shannon at University of Limerick

  6. •The Ballymacraven River at Ennistymon, Co. Clare

  7. •The Lee Fields by the Weir and the Old Cork Waterworks in Cork City

 

  1. NATURE SQUARED 

  2. 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.


  1. BEE COUNTED!

  2. 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. 

  3. 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.


  1. HAVE YOU SEEN THESE LADIES? 

  2. A nature walk and “treasure hunt” with Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly. 

  3. 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.  



JULY*

*Exact date to be decided

Anne & Denis discuss their winter 'recce' of seven water bodies across Ireland for CATCHMENTS 2025