Jacqueline Connolly, sister of Clodagh Hawe speaks to Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1

Amber was part of the 4th Class in St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass Westmeath who took part in the Tóchar Stories project bringing art and bog nature together where the children worked with volunteer ecologist and bog convservationist Eugene Dunbar and artist Annie Holland to create a new boardwalk panel for Cloncrow Bog in Westmeath - just a short stroll from their school. Amber is from Croghan where the bog body Old Croghan Man was found ( he's now in the National Museum) and she talks about the project, why she picked the Green Veined Butterfly for her artwork and why she think Croghan Man should come back to Croghan. The Tóchar Stories project is part of Tóchar Wetlands Restoration in the Midlands which is a co-funded project by the EU and Irish Government under the Just Transition process. As part of the project in creating the artwork for the boardwalk we also printed postcard versions of the work for the children to send to people they wanted to experience it - and we also helped them print badges of their own artwork so they literally wear their art!

Amber on why the Croghan Bog Man should come back to Croghan

Abby took part in the nature bog and creative arts project where the children from 4th Class St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass Westmeath got to create the new visual arts boardwalk entrance to the Cloncrow Bog. Abby drew a fallow deer for her piece and besides it becoming part of the new entrance to the bog loop you - like all the children - got printed versions of her card so she could send cards to people and share the visual stories of the bog. Abby decided to send it to her friend Maya in Longford and in this audio clip tells us why and shares her postcard.

Abby and her bestie Maya

Sean O'Connor, the father of the late singer Sinead O'Connor and author Joseph O'Connor spoke to Oliver Callan. The 87year old spoke about his grief for Sinead, his relationship with all his children, his fitness and memories of growing up in Dublin's The Liberties.

Sean O'Connor on Oliver Callan

Alessandro's mother is a talented artist - her mural illuminates the school hall in St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass, Westmeath so it's no surprise he loves art and designed a beautiful image of two fallow deer for his artwork for the Tyrrellspass - Cloncrow Bog entrance. 

Alessandro and the fallow deer

Lauren is 10 and one of the 24 children from St Anne's school who took part in the Tóchar Stories bog nature and creative art project,Tyrrellspass Westmeath. She discovers lots of new plants and heard the chiff chaff - and she shares how her family with her granny cut turf ( under turbary rights) on a bog near where they live. For Lauren experiencing the nature wildlife and plants of the bog gave her another insight to the place she lives in and her own family experience of enjoying and going every summer to cut turf for their winter fires. Many, many families in the Midlands have turbary rights to cut turf for domestic use in their homes and in the class itself most of the children described that their first awareness of turf is through it being used for fire and heating at home - and most of their homes still burn turf for fuel.  It's a very big and important part of the culture of communities  - the annual cutting, footing and drying of turf for the winter stores. 
Eugene Dunbar took the children on a journey through the history of the formation of the boglands - how old they are - 10,000 years - and how they are formed slowly through layers and layers of composting plant life - trapping carbon - but how when they are drained and cut for turf they release carbon - so our transition to seeing them as a place of biodiversity and nature for also part of climate action to restore them ( rewet them) so they trap carbon, store carbon, and become part of our climate solutions in a time of climate crisis. Cloncrow Bog where the children spent their time during the project is under bog restoration work by the National Parks & Wildlife Services and Eugene showed the children the impact already of that rewetting work and how Cloncrow has become a vital habitat for birds and plants - particularly the ever important sphagnum moss.

Lauren's discoveries on the bog and hearing the Chiff-Chaff

Retired teacher Eugene Dunbar is a bit of a legend in Tyrrellspass, Westmeath. He is a volunteer leader of the community custodians of the local bog - Cloncrow Bog - and he is passionate about ecology, biodiversity and education. In March he mentioned to Tóchar Stories that he wanted to work with the local schoolchildren and create a new entrance panel for the boardwalk loop at Cloncrow so curator Helen Shaw asked to meet the class and their teacher Laura Lynch. She suggested partnering with them and bringing in artist Annie Holland as a mentor for the art side of the project and before Easter the children had a classroom session with Eugene on the history, culture and ecology of the bog - and the wonders of sphagnum moss - the wonder plant of bog regeneration. The following week the children, 24 ten year old, their teacher Laura, artist Annie and Helen went on a bog walk in brilliant sunshine. The children played citizen scientists and found the plants and species that Eugene had mentioned. They learnt how to identify bird-song, plants and insects and had lots of fun. later Annie worked with them on drawing what they had seen and asked them to pick a species - and the children opted for species like raft spiders, common blue butterflies, fallow deer and ling heathers as well as birds of the bog. When the project was finished it was installed at the entrance to great delight and applause from the children and they also got postcard versions of their art to send to people they admired or wanted to share the story with - from Roy Keane, the President of Ireland to their favourite Auntie. Annie even had a badge making session so they got to make badges and wear their art home. At the close of the project ( or maybe phase 1 as Eugene has more ideas) Helen asked Eugene to share his thoughts on how it all went, and what he had learnt and experienced through it.

To find out more  about Eugene and the Cloncrow Bog go to https://www.tyrrellspasstrail.ie
to find out more about Tóchar Wetland Restoration in the Midlands - a co-funded by Irish Govt and EU project under the Just Transition in Ireland go to https://www.tocharwetlands.ie

Eugene Dunbar on working with the children of St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass

Before the Summer break the 4th Class children of St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass Westmeath got to take part in a bog nature and creative art project under Tóchar Stories - led by local ecologist and volunteer community leader Eugene Dunbar with artistic mentorship by artist Annie Holland.  In this short package you hear Eugene begin the project in the classroom showing the children the history, ecology and biodiversity of the bog before they went on a guided bog walk to find and identify species like sundew ( always a favourite with children because this tiny plant eats insects) and the vital sphagnum moss. After the children worked with artist Annie Holland on creating drawing and then moving in water colours, when these were finished they were assembled into the entrance panel that was installed on the Cloncrow Bog. Tóchar Stories then printed postcard versions of the 24 art works so the children could send postcards out to the world - sharing the image and story of their bog - and Annie showed them how to make fun badges of their art so they could literally wear their art. Tóchar Stories is a public engagement and storytelling project under Tóchar Wetlands Restoration in the Midlands - a three year project co funded by the EU and Irish Government and operating under National Parks & Wildlife Services (NPWS). You can find out more on www.tocharwetlands.ie

Tyrrellspass children get to tell their own bog stories

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Jacqueline Connolly, sister of Clodagh Hawe speaks to Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1

RTÉ Radio 1

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