THE invaluable work that an East Clare social enterprise is doing to conserve Ireland’s plant genetic resources as well as the agricultural and social heritage associated with them is celebrated in a new book, which was launched last week in Scariff.
Irish Seed Savers Association was the venue for the latest in-person launch of Other Stories, Cultural Heritage & Society. Seed Saver’s Scarriff hub at Capparoe was a hive of activity as the local group gathered with representatives of International Council on Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) Ireland and many others who contributed to the beautifully-crafted publication.
ICOMOS Ireland funded the free book which showcases the work and importance of 15 culture, heritage and society projects on the island of Ireland and gives a voice to those involved in the form of personal reflections. Also included is the X-PO in Kilnaboy.
At the East Clare launch, Fidelma Mullane, President of ICOMOS Ireland, was among those in attendance. “The Faro Convention emphasises the important aspects of heritage as they relate to human rights and democracy,” she said. “It promotes a wider understanding of heritage and its relationship to communities and society.
“The convention encourages us to recognise that objects and places are not, in themselves, what is important about cultural heritage. They are important because of the meanings and uses that people attach to them and the values they represent.”
Head of Irish Seed Savers Association, Elaine Bradley, welcomed the publication and the vital role it plays in showcasing the community-led approach to heritage conservation at Irish Seed Savers.
“Not alone does Irish Seed Savers curate the heritage seed and apple trees entrusted to our care, but we preserve the stories and memories of those who have tended and maintained these vital plant genetic resources through generations,” she said. “In this time of catastrophic biodiversity loss, the plant genetic materials we hold are the building blocks of future food systems and the stories associated with them are the blue prints for their use – wisdom gleaned over generations.”
The publication captures the invaluable work done by Irish Seed Savers Association and examines how it and each of the featured projects started, what sustains them, and their broader impact as well as how they give us all a much greater appreciation of heritage and its relationship to communities and society.
The launch is part of a nation-wide tour which also visits Mayo and Fermanagh and ends in Dublin in late November. Free copies of Other Stories are available at each event, thanks to the generosity, support and funding from the Heritage Council, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company.
Other Stories was launched at an online event by Heritage and Electoral Reform Minister, Malcolm Noonan, as part of the ICOMOS Ireland annual Maura Shaffrey Lecture during the pandemic. ICOMOS Ireland undertook the research and advocacy project to highlight the spirit and principles of the Faro Convention as expressed in an Irish context.
Speaking ahead of the tour, Minister Malcolm Noonan described the book as “a wonderful culmination of a lot of collaborative effort and brings together many projects based on our common heritage and cultural values”. “In it are many stories of various projects around our country that bring about a whole new understanding of the cultural values that are really important to us,” he said. “As Heritage Minister, I believe it is important for us to have a work like this that shows that we have this shared culture but that we also have our cultural differences and those are to be celebrated. In order to do that, we need to have a better understanding of one another.
“The idea that cultural heritage can be used as a force for good and bring together voices that are not always heard makes it really good as well. We can use cultural heritage to include people in participative structures and bring about proper planning, ecological diversity and a whole new changed world view in terms of how we see the future. Bringing together the themes of people, place, living skills and land use are significant and the projects in this book show that we can work together towards a sustainable future. We can use work like this to look at a whole new set of values as we face into the planet and biodiversity crisis and more.”
Community co-design experts, Workhouse Union coordinated the book launch tour. Creative Director Rosie Lynch said: “Alongside ICOMOS Ireland, and guided by our co-author Eimear O’Connell (Heritage Consultant) we selected projects that showcase the work of individuals and organisations across an evolving spectrum of heritage that best advocates a more inclusive, considered and creative approaches which present, protect and sustainably develop the rich seams of cultural heritage in Ireland.
“Many of the projects combine cultural heritage with and alongside community development, archaeology, the arts, rural issues, planning, social justice, recreation and biodiversity and have, over time, been able to sustain their initiatives by securing modest support across multi-agency funding partners and collaboration with other stakeholders.”
The full list of specially-selected projects included in the book are the X-PO in Kilnaboy; 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin; The Bridge Street Project; Kilmuckridge Song Project; Diamond War Memorial; Foyle Punt; Meitheal Mara; Battles, Bricks and Bridges; Headford Lace Project; Great Western Greenway; Irish Seed Savers; Thomastown Community River Trust; Bi Urban; Migrant Women: Shared Experiences; Missling on the Tobar.
The tour continues with launches Mayo at the Country Life Museum on October 27; in Arney in Fermanagh on November 10 and culminating in Dublin on November 24.
Events are co-produced with local hosts and include a mixture of talks, community engagement workshops and hospitality and the public is invited to attend.
More information is available on Workhouseunion.com.