The Heritage through Art Community grant scheme
The aim of this grant scheme is to award grants to communities and artists who work together to explore and present aspects of Laois’s heritage through varying art forms. These grants range from incubator grants to project delivery grants. Projects may be phased over a number of years, exploring concepts and developing relationships between the artist and community in year one and the building on this in future years.
Heritage includes the following - monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects including archives, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, geology, heritage gardens and parks, inland waterways, folklore and local history.
The 2025 Heritage through Art grant scheme will be announced here in January 2025. For more details contact the Creative Communities Engagement Officer David Broderick at dabroderick@laoiscoco.ie.
2024 Heritage through Art Funded Projects
Camross Tidy Towns Group worked with painter and graphic artist Peter Dooley to develop the story of Camross poet Patrick Ryan (1750-1825). Peter painted a portrait of Patrick Ryan which was unveiled at the Poet’s Cottage in Camross as part of Heritage Week 2024. (Photo: Peter Dooley and his father Paddy at Camross Cottage).
The Class of 1990 Restoration Project and Bloom HQ Mountrath held a ‘Brigid in Bloom’ festival which included a variety of artistic and heritage elements under the guidance of musician Trudi Lalor. This project was jointly funded by the Laois County Heritage Office and won the Co. Laois National Heritage Week Award 2024.
Stradbally Writers developed a chapbook on the myths and legends of Co. Laois. This project was overseen by writer Eileen Casey and included the illustrations of artist Jim Fitzpatrick and Harry Clarke.
Mountmellick Arts Collective hosted a summer heritage festival. The festival included A multiscreen art installation which advocated for the cultural and social value of film archives - local films, archival materials and archival footage.
The Stradbally Vicarstown Timahoe Community Group’s project involves the development and creation of art objects in Vicarstown, Stradbally, Timahoe Co. Laois, inspired by local legends and historical events. (Photo below is a tree stump carving of St. Mochua by Evgeney Chubatyy, John Scully SVT also in photo).
Rebecca Deegan and Laois Offaly Wildlife Trust; This ongoing project aims to work alongside wildlife conservationists, local folklorists & libraries, to create a large-scale oil painting which will serve as a visual representation of the interconnection between the folklore, flora & fauna of Laois.
In 2024 the Portlaoise musical society celebrated its 25th anniversary. The group will exhibit a range of old programmes and photographs as part of the society’s anniversary celebrations.
Laois Heritage Society (LHS) in collaboration with creative producer/curator Ann Lawlor, historian Regina Dunne, and science communicator Catherine McGuinness will explore and consider the relationship of concepts/artefacts/assets within Laois Archives (Laois Local Studies) as part of a STEAM practices and research project.
Laois Heritage Society worked with historian Terry Dunne to research, record and preserve the history of the Famine Mortuary at Ballylusk. This project was jointly funded by the Laois County Heritage Office.
Abbeyleix Bog Project worked with artist Alison McEvoy using Abbeyleix Bog as inspiration and main location to hold an arts festival ‘Of Hands’. The festival explored the bog landscape through paint, sculpture, ceramics, written and spoken word.
Abbeyleix Bog Project group are working with creative Gary Luttrell to bring the story of the bog to life for visitors in a way that they have never experienced before - its history, unique landscape, flora and fauna will all be presented in this modern way.
Laois Beekeeping Association are developing a new apiary at the location of the Old Waterworks in Abbeyleix. They have a large storage container on the site which has been painted by artist Aileen Donavan. The painting is a depiction of St. Gobnait, the patron saint of Beekeepers. (Photo below).
Tonduff Cillín Project will work with Artist Jen Donnery to create a memorial art installation to be situated at Heritage House, Abbeyleix. The aim of this memorial is to remember the burial site (Cillín) at Tonduff and commemorate the innumerable infants buried there in the past and to honour their existence.
Creative Sandra Kelly and the Rathdowney Active Retirement/ Men’s Shed produced Forgotten Memories, a series of video clips created with residents of Rathdowney. This project worked alongside the Residence of Rathdowney as the aim was to have the voice of the locals at the core. (Photo below of Rathdowney Active Retirement Group).
Ballyfin Players are in the process of developing a play The Raid at Clontyglas 1922, a local incident during the War of Independence. With the assistance of a playwright and producer they aim to bring this new production to the stage in Ballyfin in 2025.
Rossmore Killeshin Development Association’s event was aimed for all ages, it’s main aim was to remember and remind young and old of the local traditions of a bygone time. Local Historian Pat Whelan researched and delivered a talk on Coalmining in Rossmore as part of Heritage Week 2024.
The Midlands Ukrainian Association are working with the older people within their community on the traditions and memories of farming and cooking within the Ukraine. They are incorporating local farm visits, cooking demonstration and will have a presentation of their collections which will be considered for exhibition at the National Ploughing Championship 2025.