Hugo Davis is delighted to see his colourful artwork of the bog lichen ‘Devil’s Matchstick’ is the first you see on the new boardwalk panel co-created by his class that greets you at the entrance to Cloncrow Bog, Tyrrellspass, Westmeath. “I thought it was pretty – and I liked the name’ Hugo says, while his classmate Amber Flanagan says she feels “proud” not just of herself but of her whole class when she sees the new boardwalk panel, and how everyone visiting the bog can now see their artwork inspired by the bog.

Across three months the 24 children of 4th Class, St Anne’s NS, Tyrrellspass took part in a bog nature and creative art storytelling project under Tóchar Community Stories where they worked collaboratively with their class teacher Laura Lynch, local bog volunteer leader and naturist, Eugene Dunbar and artist mentor Annie Holland to co-create the new boardwalk panel which was finally installed and celebrated by the children on June 9th.

The project began in March when Eugene Dunbar, who leads the community group Ethos (Everything Tyrrellspass Has on Show), mentioned to teacher Laura Lynch that he’d love the children in her class to make a new boardwalk panel around their experience of the bog and a bog nature walk with him. Helen Shaw of Tóchar 2
Community Stories suggested bringing Artist Annie Holland in to facilitate the class and Laura invited Eugene, Helen and Annie into the classroom to work with the children.

Eugene did an initial classroom session with his ‘bog in a jar’ and began unpacking the history, science and nature stories of Cloncrow Bog for the children whose school is just a few minutes walk from the bog loop. Cloncrow Bog is a Natural Heritage Area and covers 234 hectares with a 3.5km bog loop trail linking to the Tyrrellspass village. It is one of the few remaining raised bogs in the midlands, with unique habitats, and has undergone nature restoration and rewetting work under the National Parks and Wildlife Services while Ethos are the community custodians of the bog. Eugene Dunbar, a retired geography teacher, is the driving force of local nature volunteerism and leads citizen science data collection from the bog, regularly bringing school children from both primary and secondary on educational engagements.

The children then got to spend a morning on the bog, in the company of Eugene, Laura, Annie and Helen, exploring and identifying species that Eugene had shown them like sundews, ling heather and bog asphodel. They became citizen scientists but also took time to begin drawing and capturing images so they could work on them later with Annie.

They even got to enjoy a sing-song with local celebrity singing priest Fr Ray Kelly who was out walking his dog Barney and treated them to his version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah with the children as a chorus!

Back in the school the children worked with Annie capturing their visual stories inspired by what Eugene had shared with them, and what they had experienced, and worked from images, began drawing and then moved into water colours. Annie’s guidance ensured the children had a sense of ownership over the process as they created their own artwork.

From the many pieces of art created by the children Annie curated a boardwalk series, guided by Eugene, which was then locally printed to become the new entrance panel to Cloncrow Bog and the children finally got to see it together with their teacher Laura Lynch on Monday June 9th.

Each of the children got to have a photo taken with their own artwork piece as a souvenir and Tóchar Community Stories also printed a postcard series of the work so the children could take them home or send them to someone they admire.

Back in the school Annie brought out her badge making machine and the children got to make badges of their own art so they could wear it and bring one home. Children also got to write up their postcards and choose who they will go to with some opting for President Michael D. Higgins and others for football legends like Roy Keane.

Rachel Ryan is busy writing up the postcard version of her artwork, a common butterwort from Cloncrow Bog. She loves art but her other big passion is athletics so her card is going to Irish Olympian Rhasidat Adeleke. She wants Rhasidat to know she was watching her in the Paris Games, that’s she is a big fan and a runner herself, but also she’d love her to come and visit! Over to you Rhasidat??

Wearing their artwork was one of the most popular aspects for the children as they then got to take home their original artwork from the creative sessions with Annie Holland. Helen even recorded some of the children reading their postcard messages.

For Eugene Dunbar the project has been a revelation. He is working with school groups all the time but says this project gave agency, time and a creative voice to the children and their engagement with Annie Holland was transformative. “They will see things differently now when they visit the bog” while Annie Holland says the children now talk of “our bog”.

Tóchar Community Stories is a public engagement storytelling project under Tóchar Wetlands Restoration in the Midlands under the Just Transition. Tóchar is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme. It is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Overall the project will spend €12m during its lifetime.

Tóchar Community Stories will next work with the primary school in Kilteevan, Co Roscommon collaborating on a bog nature and art project with the school children, their teacher, local bog custodian leader Eileen Fahey, of Kilteevan Tidy Towns and artist Annie Holland around butterflies on the local Cloonlarge Bog. If you want to contact Tóchar email Helen on email tócharstories (at) gmail dot com.