ECO SHOWBOAT “Journey to the East”
ECO SHOWBOAT at VICARSTOWN, County Laois
Saturday 01 July, 2.30 am – 5.30pm
VICARSTOWN COMMUNITY HALL, Annanough GAA Club R32 RX67
The Eco Showboat Mayfly – a vibrantly coloured solar powered boat touring Ireland’s inland waterways for 2 years – will be moored in Vicarstown over the weekend of July 1st. Join artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly for a fascinating afternoon of ecology, art, food and music with local artist artist and taxidermist Emily Miller, marine biologist Rachel O’Malley, and Indian-Irish music duo Anna Tanvir & Maninder Singh.
At 2.30 pm meet Anne & Denis and hear about their two-year solar journey on the island’s waterways and the challenges they have faced as the first solar boat to navigate the entire country using sustainable energy, then hear about County Laois artist and taxidermist Emily Miller’s fascinating work, recently shown at IMMA’s Earth Rising festival, that integrates preserved remains of small creatures who died as a result of human activity.
Right through the afternoon fresh water ecologist Rachel O’Malley is on hand to introduce you to the invertebrates – a host of little creatures that live in our waterways. These fascinating and endearing little creatures—the Caddisfly, the Mayfly Nymph and more—are indispensable for the health of our waterways as well as important indicators of water quality.
At 3.45, join Anne, Denis, Emily, Anna and Maninder for a tea break with delicious Indo-Irish goodies by Maninder, a is a talented chef as well as a musician.
And at 4.30, the wonderful Indian-Irish musical duo Anna Tanvir & Maninder Singh will treat you to folk songs from around the world on harp and guitar. Their program is a soul-stirring musical journey from India across Europe, to Ireland, praising the beauty of nature and the wonder of the natural world.
Anne Cleary, a founder of the Eco Showboat project says “We are very grateful to the Vicarstown Community for welcoming us so warmly to County Laois. The Eco Showboat aims to bring people together around ecology in a way that is enjoyable and fun, combining climate science with art to give people engaging moments where we can imagine solutions to the climate crisis together. Vicarstown people have really bent over backwards to help us realise this vision in County Loais.”
The Eco Showboat Journey to the East is a five-month arts expedition from Askeaton to Dublin aboard the solar powered Mayfly, flagship of the Eco Showboat project. Brain child of artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly, the project is supported by the Arts Council, SFI, Creative Ireland, Waterways Ireland, and LAWPRO (full list of partners here).
Contact: Anne Cleary anne@schooloflooking.org +353 89 9632764
Programme: http://www.schooloflooking.org/SoL/home.html
Reservation (advised but not obligatory): http://www.schooloflooking.org/EcoSHOWBOAT/PROGRAMME_2023.html
