Future Ancestor Athy will take place in Athy, Co Kildare, Ireland on 2nd November 2024 from 1pm-3.30pm on Athy Library grounds.
This event will bring together art, ecology, and community to explore our relationship with the environment, looking back on our past while imagining a sustainable future.
Future Ancestor Athy, taking place from 1pm -3.30pm, features a wide variety of eco-workshops, art installations, and performances centred around the mythical figure of Berba, the Goddess of the River Barrow. Berba serves as both witness and protector, embodying the interconnectedness of the past and future.
“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” (Amitav Ghosh, The Great Derangement 2016).
We challenge this narrative by empowering artists, youth, and citizens to reimagine their role in shaping a future that honours our planet and future descendants.
Join us for an afternoon of FREE exhibitions, installations, free eco-workshops and performances – INCLUDING:
Walk & Talk along the Barrow with Cliff Reid and ISL interpreter Aoife.
Eco-Protest Banners displayed in trees by our local Anchor Youth Club.
Handprint Prayer Flags displayed in various installation sites.
Clay Plate Crushing in the Green Area led by Ciara.
A Video Installation by Deirdre Southey ‘Berba’s Reverie’ shown in the Small Meeting Room in the Library.
Photography Exhibitions – James Lawlor ‘Berba’s Animal Friends’ in the library continues for one week and Súil Eile: A visual installation by Colm Walsh, featured on screens within the library.
An art installation by Clare Hartigan ‘The Murphigans’ displayed in the trees.
Griese Youth Theatre performs ‘Cry Me a River’ in the main performance area.
I.F will be performing about 2pm – are a 3 piece teenage all-girl rock band from Athy County Kildare, they currently have two released singles and are working on many more.
Botanical Ink-Making Workshop ‘Berba’s Bounty’ on the ‘Wall of Gratitude’ led by Angelina & Clare Hartigan.
Soul Boats by Nessa & Angelina.
Screen-printing Workshop with the Anchor Youth Club in the workshop tent led by Emily & the Anchor Youth Club.
Reflect on Berba’s Creation Story narrated by Bríd Brophy, Judith O’Brien and Emily Rainsford. Berba’s creation Story will be displayed on QR codes around the site.
Our ancient ancestors believed water was a portal to the other realms. The Festival will focus on the Earth Charter values through the folklore of Berba, the Goddess of the River Barrow. Berba has witnessed our ancestors drive communities of life to extinction and she is rising from the depths of the Otherworld to take action. She is the constant through changing times, past, present and future, and there would be no town without her. Water and rivers were sacred in Ancient Ireland and closely associated with Samhain as a gateway to the Otherworld. Berba’s animal friends will return from the afterlife to save endangered species of the present, as they once roamed these lands when her banks were lined with carbon-storing forests.
We will consider the environmental impact of every single material or process we use and produce a database of eco-products and lessons learned, to guide other community groups or events. Supported by the Kildare Climate Innovation Fund, this is the second instalment of a three-part project designed to engage local communities in creative responses to climate change.
Installations
Berba’s Reverie
A video installation by Deirdre Southey, this offers an immersive meditation on the river’s sounds and spirit. ‘Berba’s Reverie‘ is an immersive installation that encapsulates the ethereal spirit of the River Barrow. This artwork is a harmonious blend of natural sounds and materials, all meticulously gathered from the Barrow itself. The artist has crafted a serene meditation experience, inviting you to step inside, sit and truly immerse yourself in the rivers spirit.
The Murphigans
Clare Hartigan’s whimsical tree-dwelling characters, known as ‘The Murphigans’ will be part of the visual landscape, adding an element of folklore and fun.
“The Murphigans” are a family of changeling characters that live in the trees and protect the earth. They build their own tree swing nests and give safe passage through the woods. Each having their own strength and virtue, they believe in rewarding a good heart. However they can quite mischievous if crossed. They like to be acknowledged with a simple wave, a tip of the hat and even better they love to be sung to “…….. Clare Hartigan.
Performances
Griese Youth Theatre
Performing Cry Me a River at 2.15pm & 3.15pm, this youth theatre group will use the power of storytelling to deepen connections between the local community and their natural environment. Griese Youth Theatre is delighted to be collaborating with Angelina, Ciara and other local artists in this exploration of climate and nature. The group will present this short, devised drama piece with a cast of eleven young people and two young adults.
Griese Youth Theatre celebrated their 25th anniversary in July with the launch of a Digital Archive https://www.gytarchive.com/
Comhaltas
Traditional Irish music by Comhaltas Athy will provide a cultural backdrop to the event.
I.F will be performing about 2pm – IF are a 3 piece teenage all-girl rock band from Athy County Kildare, they currently have two released singles and are working on many more.
Presentations
Look out for our Handprint Prayer Flags
Participants have contributed their handprints, screenprinted with Earth Charter values, which will be sewn into prayer flags to reflect the community values of Athy. Made from recycled fabrics and dyed naturally with plants from the Barrow riverbanks, these flags symbolise community values and the collective hope for a sustainable future. The fabric being used is from recycled bed sheets which are naturally dyed with Berba’s bounty of heather, elderberries, birch bark and hawthorn from the river banks, while the paint is sustainable Lasaux gouache preserved with sage oil instead of toxins. Huge thanks to everyone who gave us their handprints, especially Athy Sing & Sign for hosting us at their festival, National Learning Network and Anchor Youth Club.
Eco-Protest Banners
Created by Anchor Youth Club, these visual poetry-inspired Eco-Protest banners will be displayed in trees, offering a youth-led call for climate action. Exploring Visual Poetry through Banner Protest Poetry, the four Eco-protest banners represent four values from the UNESCO endorsed Earth Charter. Anchor Youth Club explored the concept of being a Good Ancestor and in response to the Earth Charter Values, they designed protest banners using inspiration from Visual Poetry.
Thanks to Astra Papachristodoulou for her visual poetry and banner poetry training & support with festival leaders. How to be A Good Ancestor: Funded by Kildare Creative Ireland Bursary Award.
Berba Clay Plate Crunching is inspired by our earlier project ‘Bosca Bherba’ (Berba’s Box) an adaptation of the “Worry Box” idea. Attendees will be invited to reflect on their climate anxieties by writing them onto clay which will then be made into unfired compostable plates. We foraged these clays, plants and water from the source of the Barrow in the Slieve Bloom on World Rivers Day on September 22nd this year. The plates, made with these foraged materials from the Barrow, will be crunched in a mindful way as a symbolic release.
Botanical Ink-Making
Participants will learn how to create inks from natural materials, expressing their gratitude to the environment through abstract art on bamboo postcards which will be displayed on Berba’s Wall of Gratitude. These Botanical Ink Taster & the Colour of Alchemy Workshops run in unison with Berba’a Wall of Gratitude all afternoon. This idea is adapted from the installation by Blueway Art Studio at Earth Rising, IMMA 2023 & Picnic in the Park 2024.
Soul Boats
Drawing from Indigenous visual poetry by Liam Regan, this workshop invites participants to build small, compostable boats to honour our ancestors and reflect on our place as future ancestors. These boats will be floated on the river in a symbolic gesture to connect with those who have passed, seeing water as a portal to other worlds. We will assemble the Soul Boats from sustainable compostable materials to reflect on loved ones who have passed.
Screen-printing with Anchor Youth Club
Participants will screen-print posters featuring Berba, using plastic-free paints on recycled paper. The illustration is inspired by Berba’s animal spirit as we explore the lore about river otters & sea otters in Ireland, led by Emily and the Anchor Youth Club.
Photography Exhibitions
Berba’s Animal Friends
In the Library James Lawlor’s exhibit on the wildlife of the River Barrow will highlight Berba’s animal friends, showcasing the rich biodiversity of the region.
Súil Eile
This visual installation by Colm Walsh looking at a day in the life of Athy, is featured on screens within the library. This exhibition is the culmination of years of talk and one days photographic evidence. The kernel of the project was to capture the heart of Athy or any small Irish town on any given day. To attempt to listen to the humour, the warmth, the worries and hopes of ordinary folk like us.
Jimmy is a renown creative in his native Finland, working commercially on some revolutionary projects in Scandinavia, working artistically on what ever takes his fancy, from documenting the most northerly GAA match ever played to socially engaged project introducing migrants to each other through the medium of photography.
Jimmy first met Colm at a Luka Bloom concert in Helsinki, they bonded over a bag-of-cans and being the only Lillywhites within the Artic Circle. Colm is best known for the Made of Athy project and works professionally in Addiction Services. He has a lifetime in the music business, from rock journalist with Hot Press to A&R at Rhythm King Records, from interviewing Eminem to managing the Sultan’s of Ping.
The visuals at the exhibition show Doyle’s keen eye for detail and colour, while some shots capture immense landscapes while others concentrate on rust of a simple lock. People, places, problems and parents populate the pages of this visual diary. Colm’s lyrics attempt to capture those inner thoughts that these visuals launch. The pleasure of familiar street, the warmth of a local shop, a welcoming bar and a butcher that must explain the ills of Kildare football. However there also the dark side of life in a small midland town, the suicides, the abuse, the sadness and loneliness.
“They haven’t dragged the river for any body this Winter This year, has been a better year for some body”
Visuals by Jimmy Doyle Words by Colm Walsh
Looking to the future
As we approach Samhain, a time traditionally associated with reflection and transition, ‘Future Ancestor Athy’ offers a space for the community to consider what kind of ancestors they will be to future generations. Through art, conversation, and creative expression, the event encourages participants to explore their role in shaping a more sustainable and compassionate world.
The work doesn’t end here—Future Ancestor is part of a broader project that continues to engage the community in ecological awareness and creative action. With possible future collaborations including the Community Wetlands Forum and the “Cabaret of Curiosities,” Athy’s commitment to environmental stewardship will continue to grow.
‘Future Ancestor Athy’ is an inspiring celebration of art, nature, and community, encouraging all to reflect on the past and consider the legacy we leave behind. The purpose of our project is to change the mindset or behaviour of the wider community, to merge Athy’s sense of place through the folklore of the River Barrow with the Unesco Endorsed Earth Charter Values, and to instil accountability and responsibility for the greater community of life.
For those who want to deepen their understanding, recommended reading includes works like Listen to the Land Speak by Manchán Magan and The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric, which explore how we can become better custodians of the earth.
Join us on November 2nd for an afternoon of reflection, creativity, and action—an opportunity to honour the past while shaping a hopeful future for generations to come.
Honouring our Ancestors and building awareness of the concept of “Future Ancestors”.
Promoting Awareness through the visibility of the UNESCO-endorsed Earth Charter and through the cycle of reciprocity, we will make a ceremonial oath to Berba, the witness to all future ancestors by asking for a gift of earth from the river bed, which will be re-created through unfired compostable clay sculptures by Ciara O’Keeffe and returned to her on Ancestor Day.
The Earth Charter is a document with 16 principles inspiring a global movement for building a just, sustainable and peaceful world. It is the product of a decade-long, worldwide dialogue on shared values. The Charter offers a sense of interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of all people, the greater community of life, and future generations.
