THE LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
The Lighthouse Project is a collaborative artistic response to lighthouses around Ireland, curated by Dani Gill and produced in partnership with the Arts Council, Creative Ireland and festivals around the country.
The initiative was founded in 2020, as part of the European Spot-Lit.eu Project The Western Development Commission circulated a tender call for a creative partner to develop a Literary Tourism Performance Model for the Wild Atlantic Way, and The Lighthouse Project was the chosen model for the Republic of Ireland.
Now in its second year, the project takes artists to sites around Ireland where writers and artists from other mediums, take inspiration from the communities and landscape around lighthouses, producing poems, stories, songs, audio trails, installations and film work.
24 partners
artists involved so far
Our Sites
Mutton Island Lighthouse, Galway City,
Partners: Cúirt International Festival of Literature, the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council.
Artists:
Sarah Maria Griffin (writer)
Shane O’Malley (visual artist)
Máiréad Ní Chróinín
Gala Tomasso (illustrator)
What we made: A self-guided walking tour with a map and zine. Mural ‘routes’ by Shane O’Malley at the end of the route on a boat ramp.
Launched: April 2021, continued online as a trail until September 2021.
Fanad Head Lighthouse, Co. Donegal
Partners: Earagail Arts Festival, the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Annemarie Ní Churreáin (writer)
Laura Sheeran (director and filmmaker)
What we made: A Blessing of the Boats by the Village Mothers
Launched: July 2021 as a live installation at Fanad Lighthouse and online.
Mornington, County Meath
Partners: Droichead Arts Centre, Meath Arts Office, Drogheda Port, the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Jessica Traynor (writer)
Laura Sheeran (director and filmmaker)
Jackie Hudson Lalor (visual artist)
SJ McArdle (musician)
Roisin Ward Morrow (musician)
What we made: From 2021 to 2022, the Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda Port and Meath County Arts Office collaborated with the project to offer five artists the site of Mornington, County Meath. Mornington is home to three lights (the North, West and East lights) along with the additional architecture of: Lady’s Finger, the Maiden’s Tower and the ancient beacons where fires were originally lit before the presence of lighthouses.
Artists SJ Mc Ardle, Jackie Hudson Lalor, Jessica Traynor, Laura Sheeran and Róisín Ward Morrow have created an audio experience mirroring the landscape and the tales surrounding it with original poems, songs and music. Maps with project information are around the local area and are also available from Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda. The audio trail can be accessed using this link: Mornington Audio Trail on a smart device with headphones or earphones.
Launching Sunday August 21st, 2pm, @Mornington Beach
Coney Island, Blackrock & the Lower Rosses,
Co. Sligo
Partners: CAIRDE Sligo Arts Festival, the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Annemarie Ní Churreáin (writer)
Laura Sheeran (director and filmmaker)
What we made: Creative research (Summer 2021) on the stories of Coney Island lead to a residency for further exploration of local history, folklore and tours of the bay and the surrounding hills (March 2022). An immersive installation is planned for CAIRDE Sligo Arts Festival 2023.
Sheep’s Head, West Cork
Partners: West Cork Literary Festival, the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Sara Baume (writer)
Mark Beatty (visual artist)
What we made: A hike to Sheep’s Head Lighthouse with writer Sara Baume. A group of attendees walked the 2km pathway to the lighthouse as part of a collaboration with the West Cork Literary Festival and were treated to a special reading of ‘The Call’ on the helipad of the peninsula. Visual Artist Mark Beatty created a chalk drawing on the steps of the lighthouse, as a nod to Hindu temples and the playful interaction of children’s hopscotch. The chalked pathway is the end point of Baume’s short story and follows the idea of temple and journey evoked in the dark, sci-fi atmosphere of her pilgrimage tale. In the autumn Mark will create an LED light installation on the peninsula that will be filmed and released with voiceover excerpts of the story as a separate filmic offering to be shared online.
Blacksod Lighthouse, Co. Mayo
Partners: Creative Ireland (Mayo), the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Alice Kinsella (writer)
Paul Kinsella (photographer and digital artist)
What we made: An installation at the lighthouse featuring ‘Neutrality’, a piece written by Alice Kinsella inspired by climate change and the D-Day weather warning that came from Blacksod.
Launching Sunday 14th August 2022 12noon @Blacksod Lighthouse
The Artists will launch the installation at the lighthouse at 12noon Sunday 14th August and the film piece will also be released online and retained at the lighthouse via QR for visitors to scan.
Valentia Island Lighthouse, Co. Kerry
Partners: Chamber Music on Valentia, Creative Ireland (Kerry), Kerry Arts Office, the Arts Council of Ireland and Valentia Island Lighthouse.
Artists:
Faye Boland (writer)
Dumnac Goulet (sound artist)
Launching Saturday 20th August 2022 2pm @Valentia Island Lighthouse
What we made: Musical Map Audio Trail Faye and Dumnac created an audio and visual response to Valentia Island and the Valentia Island lighthouse. The work launched on Saturday 20th August and is now part of the lighthouse exhibition on the island as well as being available online via YouTube.
Inis Oirr Lighthouse, Co. Galway
Partners: Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Galway County Council, the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists:
Sadhbh Devlin (writer)
Linda Fahrlin (visual artist and illustrator)
Launching September 2022
As part of Baboró 2022 the project will work with visual artist Linda Fahrlin and writer Sadhbh Devlin in Claddagh National School and Scoil Chaomháin (Inis Oirr). Working with ‘splanc fiction’ (flash fiction) and imagery following that theme, the children and artists will work together bilingually to realise an exchange of writings and crafted items.