Packed schedule for Ballintubber Heritage Week
Mike Ryan, Padraig Hussey, Dick Thompson, John Hopkins, Martin Conroy, Brian Kranzler and Darragh Conroy cutting the traditional way at the Ballintubber Heritage Week last year. Pic. Liam Reynolds
Ballintubber Heritage Week, which got underway on Friday and runs until July 26th promises numerous events and talks tailored for a broad audience.
The event got underway on Friday with storytelling and St. Brigid’s cross making at St. Bride’s Well, Tobar Bríde followed by a ‘Stars, Stripes and Shamrocks Night’ presented by J&G Jiving in Kenny’s Bar.
This morning Saturday at 11 a.m. acclaimed historian Mary Timoney will host a talk at the Old Graveyard.
Between noon and 4 p.m. the popular heritage stalls return to the Old Schoolhouse, where there will be an artefact display, traditional bread making, castle tours, Daly’s Old World shop, music, tea and coffee.
Younger attendees will also be entertained with ice cream, face painting and for a second year a fancy dress dog show.
There will be a chance to catch up with old friends in the evening as the Castlerea Community School Class of 2001 reunion takes place in Garvey’s while DJ Arlene will play in Kenny’s. Both events get underway at 8 p.m..
Sunday, July 19th will begin with Cemetery Mass at 11.30 a.m.. Following that traditional hay making, a visit to Wilsgrove Hall and ‘Dancing at the Crossroads,’ are all on the itinerary between 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m..
The Last Chancers get Sunday evening’s proceedings underway at 5 p.m. in Garvey’s, and Celtic Cru will play in Kenny’s at 7 p.m., followed by Eamon Jackson.
Dr Andrew Bair of Harvard University will make a presentation in the Old Schoolhouse on Monday, July 20th at 6 p.m..
Between Friday, July 24th and Sunday, July 26th a 10 year reflection of the Castles in Communities project findings will be presented in the Old Schoolhouse by Janel Pleskac.
On Friday Smokey Joe’s will play host to The Conquerors at 9.30 p.m., which will serve as a fundraiser for Ballintubber NS.
The final two events of the Heritage Week will take place in Kenny’s. On Saturday, July 25th there will be karaoke before the American Farewell takes place on Sunday, July 26th, with a barbeque and music from Breakfree.
Since her first visit to Ballintubber in 2023, California native Janel PleskacÌ's interest in cultural heritage has been allowed to flourish.
The middle school history teacher said her grandmother’s Irish ancestry initially drew her to the Roscommon village and since then she has returned twice more including this year.
“Being a history teacher it’s really cool to be on an archaeology project and see what’s happening in real life. To be able to go back and communicate that to students is really exciting,” she outlined.
Like many American students before her, Ms PleskacÌ uses Castles in Communities and the Ballintubber Heritage Festival to complement her academic studies.
The Senoma State University (San Francisco Bay Area) student is on a master’s programme studying Cultural Heritage and Resource Management.
Her responsibility in curating the Lughnasadh art and archaeology exhibition, which will run from Friday, July 24th to Sunday, July 26th, ties in nicely with her expertise and academic studies.
The exhibition will provide a unique reflection on the decade’s worth of findings at Ballintubber Castle and the surrounding hinterlands.
“The purpose of the is to really look at how people are gathering meaning from this landscape. I knew that I wanted it to include art and archaeology and bring things in from the project, but then also bring art in from local artists,” explained Ms PleskacÌ.
“There will be a mix of art from children at St. Bride’s NS, and then art submitted by regional artists who are adults. There will also some images from the archaeology research and some photography that's been submitted from archaeologists as well.”
The exhibit curator pointed to the community engagement as another reason why she chose to first visit Ballintubber, and representing through Lughnasadh was a key factor for her.
“I think that the way that this project really partners with the community and has such a good relationship with the community is really special. Having art from local artists is really meaningful and it illuminates how people see the landscape here.
“The focus on community is important for the project – it’s important to exhibit. I think that’s what makes this archaeology project really special,” she concluded.
