Trad Fest Temple Bar





Well I went up to the big smoke the weekend and the Trad Fest was on in Temple Bar the place was buzzing on Saturday and Sunday ..... a real good atmosphere for all the family, everyone was catered for. Plenty of ballads to sing along to...Temple Bar seems to be one of the areas holding onto the tradititional Irish music scene it's great to hear all the Irish songs.

I had an opportunity to also visit the National Phohotgraphic Library, Temple Bar http://www.nli.ie/en/udlist/current-exhibitions.aspx an exhibition called Power and Privilage which consisted of numerous photographs taken from the late 1800's of the large houses in Ireland. 

I also got to visit the Oliver Spears gallery which had many well known artists work on display from Sean Hillen, Robert Motherwell and Anslem Keifer oliver spears gallery .

Then I seen Turner's watercolours in the National Gallery unfortunataly that finished to-day as these paintings are only on show in the Winter due to the light as the watercolours would fade , I was well impressed the colours and the sheer detail in the works especially the very small paintings.

I also went to the Kerlin gallery too http://www.kerlin.ie/exhibitions/Present-Exhibitions.aspx. So all in all a very cultural weekend..... Back to the paint brush for me....a lot of work to be done.

Will be visiting the boat on Thursday can't wait to see it so watch this space for the next installment!

600 × 362 - Colour And Light: Caring For Turner's Watercolours

Discussion Board Clip

Nick posted this very funny clip on discussion board take a look brilliant.....http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Very Quick Week

Well after a very quick week we went down to see how the boat was coming on I was amazed to see how fast the lads had worked since we left last Thursday. During the week the ribs were put onto the bottom of the boat.

So it's really taking shape and you really can get a sense of how big the boat will be as the bottom of the boat looked like a large surf board last week!

Oak Ribs

The next part that happened to-day was the stern I'm getting familiar with the proper names of the boat.... This is made of teak.Then it was time to put on the first plank this is a very tricky process and requires great precision and as the lads explained once the first planks are put on the the rest can be put on quite quickly. I personally think it's very exciting and interesting.

Teak Stern

First plank being fitted

I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress and we will be able to contribute in some way to help do a few things at a later stage. Brilliant work in progress. 

I was listening to the radio the other day whilst driving home and the Mooney show on RTE1, they were talking about Men Sheds this is a concept that is sweeping Ireland that originated in Australia where men can meet and take part in different activities from fixing lawnmowers to building motor cycles. I think it is a fantastic concept it doesn't have to be a shed just a space where the men can meet have a chat.

As a society we have become so isolated especially in rural areas so it's great to see such great work being done. What I liked about the concept and what was very evident on the radio was whilst it's called the Men Sheds it does not exclude women which I think is really nice. It can be very difficult for men to have an outlet from the home and as a women and a mother I get to interact with different groups of people but for the men at home this is not always possible. I think this is a very positive step forward for communities and for men especially. The website is http://www.menssheds.ie/  it's a very informative website for men. I just sent them a message wishing them the best of luck as I think it's a fantastic idea and I hope it is a great success and gets the support it requires.

The shed where the boat is being built has an open door policy too and just by being there the few times people visit from the area and they know what's going on. The hope for this shed will be that different things will be run from there over the year so all very positive the major hurdle is the funding.

So watch this space for further postings ........

Bottom of the boat...

This boat was made last year

Two postings this week lots of things happened. Yesterday we went to the shed to see the marking out of the bottom of the boat. The lads had the planks already set up for the bottom of the boat which will be made of white deal. Nails were placed in the wood to mark out the width.. Later on one of the gentlemen from the oral history project came in and we had a great chat with him, he told us a lot about the boats and was explaining the parts of the boats that were in the yard. 

White deal bottom of boat

The boat is designed  on the Mermaid dingy style. He explained in the past people used flour sacks for the sails because money was scarce. There was a very good atmosphere as the lads explained each step to us as they went along there was also a great sense of teamwork between the lads.

The bottom of the boat is flat the reason for this is because of the harbour in Wexford and if the boat was to get stuck on anything it could be pushed off easily. With greater accessibility to power tools it makes the process much faster unlike years ago when all the jobs where done with hand tools. Next week I will be back again to see the next step the ribs/knees will be put on the boat these are made of oak and the stern is made of teak. Hopefully I have the names right.... but I'm sure I will know them for sure after a few weeks it's all very interesting.



I think to have this project is great for the area but the people are the important part and the skills that have been learn't and are being passed onto younger groups. Funding is so difficult to get for these projects but the positive impact they have on a community I think is priceless and the funding for these types of  projects should continue and always be there.

Really looking forward to going back next week and seeing some of the next steps ..... watch this space....as this boat will last many many years if maintained and cared for, some parts might need to be replaced but I think it's brilliant to see something so iconic being made..

Marking the shape of the bottom of the boat

Cutting out the bottom

The underside was then planed

Southend Community Project

As I mentioned in a previous posting in December I would be starting a community based learning project in the New Year. Well yesterday as a group of eight we visited the shed where the boat will be constructed and we met with some of the lads that will be building the boat. We met the community coordinator who explained the role he plays at Southend coordinating the different types of projects in the centre that cater for everyone in the community.The various projects that are run from the community resource centre include the breakfast club, an oral history project and the boat project and many other incentives to get the local people involved.

The work of making the boat is voluntary and in a way a sense of giving something to the community by creating a spirit of community and an interest for the participants. I'm really very excited about this project and it's a great opportunity to experience this type of active citizenship in a local community and not a commercial venture focusing on profits etc. As a city person boats didn't feature at all other than a very occasional visit to the Poolbeg in Dublin or a visit to the seaside at Bray,  Dun Laoire or a bus trip to Greystones, which included the bag of chips and a 99 ice cream.

Everyone seems very enthusiastic about the project and I'm not surprised because it's different and  long traditional skills will be applied.  In previous years a shed didn't exist but now a new shed has been installed so the work won't be based on being weather permitting . Our part in the project is to help document the process of making the boat by video, photography and drawings and we hope to be able to pass some computer skills onto the women and men of the community. Obviously we will also get stuck in helping making the boat too and it will be great to see one being made. It will certainly I think give us a great sense of what community is to-day. On Thursday we will have an opportunity to see the bottom of the boat being marked out the first stage of the process and as the weeks go on have the opportunity to talk to the lads about the boats in more detail and their participation of being involved in such a project.

These boats have played a very important role all over Ireland in communities and just looking at some of my archive of photographs I had taken pictures of these dingy type boats while visiting parts of the country over the years and is in some way they are very much a part of our landscape and form part of our identity. 

Delphi, Connemara, Co.Mayo

Muckross, Killarney, Co Kerry