In modern Irish, dinnseanchas means “topography”; the arrangement of features in a landscape. However, the word has an older meaning that describes the lore of a place. It is associated with place names, traditions, events and characters of particular areas.

Hometree’s Dinnseanchas Project incorporates both of these aspects while taking a forward-looking approach in exploring the communities, landscapes, habitats, and economies of Ireland’s Atlantic uplands. The team of artists will listen to communities, facilitate conversations and workshops, engage with the difficult themes of biodiversity loss, agricultural policy and practice, and support an envisioning process that elevates the voices of the community themselves. Their creative responses will trace contours of the past, and chart new paths into the future. The artists will be mentored and guided by experienced voices from the worlds of farming, ecology, language, socially engaged artistic practice, anthropology, and culture.

Lucy Taylor from Hometree says “While it can be difficult to define exactly what ‘uplands’ are in an Irish context, the chosen communities have pre-established connections with Hometree and which fit a certain set of characteristics. It was equally difficult to select the group of artists from the pool of talented people who responded to the open call for bursaries. However, the agonising process is now complete and the artists are ready to begin work.”

Below is a list of the selected artists and the broad regions in which they will be working.

William Bock – Beara Peninsula

Síomha Brock – Uíbh Ráthach / Iveragh Peninsula

Zoe Rush – Corca Dhuibhne

Heather Griffin and Patrick Mulvihill – Lyracrompane

Peadar Tom Mercier – Maam Valley

Róisín de Buitléar – Glenveagh

The first major event of the project is a multi-day immersive residency in Glencar, Co. Kerry. Over 4 days, the project team will come together to explore the social, economic, environmental, policy, cultural, historical and climate contexts in which the relevant communities are operating. The team will not only share their own experience and expertise, they will hear from local farmers, from Teagasc and NPWS staff, from various ecologists, from other successful projects, from project mentors, and experienced creative practitioners. There will also be ample opportunity to get out and explore the local landscapes, which are so typical of Ireland’s uplands. They will visit farms, blanket bogs, native woodland, conifer plantations, cut over bogs, and see wind farms.

After this, the artists will begin their residencies, which will run until October 2024. The artists will also all participate in Hometree’s annual Ardnaculla Summer School in both 2024 and 2025.

From Hometree’s perspective, the hope is that Dinnseanchas will give a voice to the communities of Ireland’s uplands and to the land itself that will help to inform the work of the charity and wider policies and conversations as we all face into a future that is demanding us to make collective changes.