Honouring Berba: A Celebration of Heritage & Ecology

This is the overall project page with further projects planned later in the year.

Blueway Art Studio and Doras na Feasa Collective are proud to present Future Ancestor Athy from 1-4pm on the 16th May 2026. This immersive event weaves together eco-workshops, art installations, and live performances centred on Berba, the mythical Goddess of the River Barrow.

Click here for future ancestor athy festival

As a witness to all that has come before, Berba symbolises the interconnectedness of our past, present, and future. She remains a constant presence through changing times, representing the vital role of the River Barrow in the life and history of Athy.

“Future Ancestor Athy fosters behavioural change by strengthening the community’s sense of place, weaving together Earth Charter values, local folklore, and the living ecology of the River Barrow.”

Future Flow: Connecting with Berba

Pending funding, this space will host a growing calendar of projects and events designed to unite the people and communities along the Barrow-Nore Special Area of Conservation (Berba) and all her tributaries and interconnected waterways.

The river flows without regard for borders; following its lead, we are inspired by indigenous storytelling and the principles of bioregionalism. Our goal is to launch and sustain ecological initiatives that ripple from the mountains all the way to the Celtic Sea, fostering a shared sense of stewardship for our waters.

Key Themes of Our Vision:

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Our Foundations: Indigenous Storytelling & The Earth Charter

Reviving the Voice of Berba

In 2024, we dedicated ourselves to uncovering the ancestral creation story of Berba. All of Ireland’s great rivers are named after goddesses and therefore have an unseen connection to Mother Earth’s eternal magic. Over centuries of colonisation, many of our indigenous narratives were silenced, rewritten, or filtered through patriarchal or colonial views, vilifying or punishing the feminine and distancing us from the river’s original essence.

To reclaim our heritage, we gathered fragmented lore and spent time at Berba’s source, listening to the water and breath of the mountain. A contemporary folklore scéal was born, reimagined myth rooted in ancient truth but written for our changing times. This story blends traditional wisdom with modern eco-literacy, inviting us to reconnect with Berba as a living, breathing entity that requires our care and understanding.

Below is a short version of Berba’s story, also recorded by 3 intergenerational women from Athy, representative of the 3 sister rivers (Brid Brophy, Judith O’Brien & Emily Rainsford)

Berba of the 3 sisters

Since the dawn of humanity, Berba has whispered to the people of her shores.⁠
Ancient belief held that water was a portal to other worlds and all of Ireland’s great rivers came from Conla’s well of knowledge. Surrounded by nine hazel trees bearing crimson nuts of wisdom. When these nuts fell, salmon ate them, carrying their knowledge through Ireland’s river arteries.⁠
Seven sacred streams flowed from Conla’s well, each carrying ancient stories and spirits. One scéal tells of Dagda, the warrior god, hunting three young otters across the waterways of the Otherworld. Dagda chased them through Tír na nÓg, as they passed the threshold of the elf-mound the young otters became the flow of Berba, Siur and Eoir.⁠
These three sisters, flowed through the lungs of Rowan, Holly, Hawthorn, Hazel, and Oak; before meeting again at one estuary. Berba, the eldest, travelled farthest searching for Siur and Eoir, silently witnessing the deeds of all who came before and all that will come, if we protect her and the life around her.⁠

The full-length version of Berba of the 3 Sisters was published in The Earth Stories Collection Volume in English and Spanish and is available to read HERE

The Earth Charter is a document featuring 16 principles that inspire a global movement to build a just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Born from a decade-long worldwide dialogue, the Charter emphasises our interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of all people, the greater community of life, and future generations.

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“When future generations look back upon the Great Derangement they will certainly blame the leaders and politicians… for their failure to address… climate… but they may well hold artists and writers to be equally culpable – for the imagining of possibilities is not after all, the job of politicians and bureaucrats.”