Skip to main content


News

Solar-powered boat brings arts voyage to Banagher

Scroll
2 min read

Solar-powered boat brings arts voyage to Banagher

2 min read

5/07/22

Solar-powered boat brings arts voyage to Banagher

The Eco Showboat continues its four-month river journey and will dock at Banagher Marina, Co. Offaly, for an afternoon of art, science and workshops on July 10.

A floating art studio and science lab, the Eco Showboat Mayfly aims to connect communities in building a zero-carbon future. The brainchild of artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly, aka School of Looking, the pair are undertaking a solar-powered expedition on the rivers Shannon and Erne, from Limerick to Enniskillen.

The Mayfly is the the first solar electric boat to make this journey and along the way, the duo are intent on sparking climate action through the arts. The vessel’s next stop is at Banagher Marina, Co. Offaly on Sunday July 10.

Eco Showboat Drone Flyover

Open Video

An afternoon of art, science, workshops and talks

Enjoy an afternoon of fascinating waterside events in the extraordinary Pangolin Pavilion, a pop-up projection space made from 35 striped umbrellas. 

Artist Alan Phelan will make a fabric intervention in the marina in his signature red, green and blue colours. These relate to the Joly screen colour photography process invented by Offaly native John Joly in the 1890s – one of the very first colour images. 

Professor Patrick Wyse Jackson from the TCD Department of Geology, where Joly also worked, will discuss ‘How Rocks Can Save the Planet’. A broad ranging discussion on geological discoveries and histories that relate to climate change and art, this talk will cover how Joly’s scientific papers contributed to contemporary knowledge in the field, from the minerals used in solar cells and lithium found in granite, to carbon sinks and geological time.

Later in the afternoon the School of Looking will open your eyes to the wealth of biodiversity that surrounds us with an experience in ‘Slow Looking’ – a way of examining nature slowly and closely to understand the qualities and problems of the environment. 

You’ll also enjoy a sneak peek at the first scenes of Cleary and Connolly’s epic River Movie, documenting Mayfly’s encounters with artists, activists and scientists as it travels upriver from Limerick to Enniskillen.

The Eco Showboat visits Brookfield Farm

Open Video

The Eco Showboat project has received the Arts Council Open Call Award, the SFI Discover Award, the Limerick Arts Strategic Award and is supported by Creative Ireland, Waterways Ireland, Dublin City Council, the Local Authority Waters Programme, Offaly County Council Arts Office and local authorities and universities right across the country.

Book your place at the Banagher event and Slow Looking workshop, events are free but booking is required.

Stay up to date

×