Dinnseanchas: An Scioból

Dinnseanchas is an evolving art project rooted in rural upland communities in the West of Ireland and inspired by the word ‘dinnseanchas’ meaning the stories a place is telling. Through art and participatory creative practice, Dinnseanchas creates space to envisage future possibilities for places by holding difficult conversations about climate change, biodiversity loss, and the social and economic pressures currently shaping rural life.

Dinnseanchas is a project by Hometree, the nature-restoration charity based in the West of Ireland, working to establish and restore resilient habitats, focusing on native temperate rainforests.

During 2026 with the support of an Arts Council touring grant, Dinnseanchas on Tour will be visiting four locations on the Western Seaboard: West Cork; Iveragh, Co Kerry; Ennis, Co Clare; Inisbofin, Co Galway.

The first leg of this is a four day residency as part of Skibbereen Arts Festival, supported by Creative Places West Cork Islands and Uillinn West Cork Art Centre. At the heart of the residency is An Scioból in the Courtyard Gallery @ Uillinn, where Dinnseanchas will present an interactive exhibition of images, film and artefacts collected over a year-long programme that took place in upland locations from Gartan in Donegal to Borlin and the Coomhla Valley in West Cork. Radiating from An Scioból are the spokes of Dinnseanchas Creative places West Cork Islands, events happening in An Scioból, around town, in the hinterland and on Bere Island.

An Scioból: Wed 29th July – Sat 1st Aug in The Courtyard Gallery @ Uillinn

Scheduled events @ An Scioból:

Wednesday 29 July
11.30am – Artist talk – with Sherkin Island artist Mona O’Driscoll
Join artist Mona O’ Driscoll for an evocative talk on her three-year, socially engaged project redefining the island landscape. Moving beyond standard map grids, Mona’s collaborative practice focuses on the community itself. She has worked alongside local islanders to collate over 160 landmarks and record hours of oral histories, capturing the true emotional and cultural fabric of our home.

3pm – Through the Eye of an Cailleach by artist/anthropologist Jennifer Ahern
The Cailleach, our deepest lore of place and most mysterious deity, requires that we listen closer to the stories shaping our world and choices. This talk looks at why transformation to a more regenerative society is not just about planting more trees but also requires a shift in perspective, mindset and belief.

Thursday 30 July
11.30am – Artist talk with Uillinn Artist in Residence Julielou Bacon.
Julielou Bacon is an artist, writer, musician and curator from South Shields, a former shipbuilding, coal mining and fishing town by the North Sea in England. Julie will share her work on the Almanac project, which she began in 2024. Through her studio and field work, she explores how knowledge and understanding of climate and time are woven through people and places in stories and observations about life on land and at sea. Her Crespo Residency at Uillinn (5th June-4th August 2026 ce) continues this work and focuses on West Cork.

3pm – Utterly Butterly
The path to a regenerative and more sustainable future is complex artists Zoë Rush and Jennifer Ahern will lead a creative and participatory workshop using a Systems Thinking framework, exploring complexity, farming and sustainable food systems through butter!

Friday 31 July
11.30am – Lecture performance with Uillinn ‘Artist in Residence‘ Maitiú Mac Cártaigh
Maitiú Mac Cárthaigh, in residence at Uillinn until 5 August, is an artist haunted by memories of a family farm burning down when they were younger. How this event sent dreams of inheritance up in smoke and is the perfect cover story for not being the right son – they’ve very limp wrists. The lecture performance thirty 6-inch top down all purpose is Maitiú’s attempt to explore what they fondly call the Back-Ass of Nowhere. Comprising sound, sculpture and spoken word, this work examines the interconnectedness of oat lattes, artificial insemination and rustic sodomy in a rapidly yassifying rural Ireland. (Not for younger audiences)

Saturday 1st August
11.30am – The Arts and Environment-Discussions on Meaningful Project Making hosted by Roisin Foley.  For more info, click HERE

Dinnseanchas is supported by The Arts Council, Hometree, Creative places West Cork Islands, Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre and of course Skibbereen Arts Festival.