animating the mountain
collective ritual, event, community engagement, costumes and documentation
june-oct 2024,
boat-making sessions oct 2024
ritual 31st oct 2024
^, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
about
A mountain is a living thing, and to lose one would cause grief across communities. Following on from Waking the Land in 2023, this project considered what it would be to animate the mountain with ritual and community engagement.
From June to October 2024, the collective ^ came together to create costumes, a ritual and community events.
In October, the community were invited to make 'báidín bróin' (little grief boats) from yellow flag iris leaves.
Following this, a ritual was held to animate the boats and the banner that was created in 2023 for the local mountain Benbo.
This website shows some of the documentation from those events.
báidín bróin (oct 2024)
The báidín bróin were made by visitors who passed by or who were invited to the space. The design was based on a Scottish tradition that was also practiced in Donegal.
The making events were open to the public in our street-facing venue.
Visitors were invited to put their feelings of grief or loss into the boats, which would later be brought up Benbo mountain.
The events were social, making space for people to attend, drink tea, speak and create boats together.
ritual: animating the mountain (oct 31st 2024)
Using the iris, we designed three costumes for use in a ritual.
The ritual included a walk around Manorhamilton town with the costumed critters, slowing down traffic and bringing the banner for a first showing.
At the end of the walk, the collective presented a keen, a lament for the mountain that might be lost.
The audience from the social event were invited to join the collective on the walk.
Again, the ritual was social and included heart-mending hawthorn tea as well as snacks.