Dinnseanchas

Envisioning the Uplands

Many of Ireland’s upland communities are suffering depopulation, reduced farm incomes and the loss of the Irish language. At the same time, many iconic species and habitats are also in decline. The changing climate is causing wetter and more extreme weather.

**What does the future hold? Can Dinnseanchas - lore and knowledge of place - help us to navigate this future?**

Hometree’s Dinnseanchas Project explores the communities, landscapes, habitats, and economies of Ireland’s Atlantic uplands. Lead by a team of artists, ecologists, and communicators, Dinnseanchas aims to support upland communities in understanding the radical role they could play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and socio-economic issues such as depopulation.

practice

Zoë Rush was based in her home uplands, Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle Peninsula) in West Kerry, and worked extensively with a small group of farmers from around the peninsula during her residency period from April 2024 to May 2025. Initially she met the farmers one to one, spending half days on each farm, learning about the different farming practices and getting to know each person slowly over time. 

After multiple meetings with each farmer, Zoë organised and facilitated a workshop in Camp Community Centre in Nov 2024, bringing five of the farmers together. For the workshop Zoë used photo elicitation with her own images of the uplands of Corca Dhuibhne to start the conversation. Though these farmers had different backgrounds, practices and philosophies towards farming (including organic, dairy, sheep and farming for nature) inclusiveness was prioritised and all opinions and perspectives were welcomed and listened to. This workshop discussion formed the basis of Zoë’s book chapter in the publication 'Dinnseanchas', along with quotes from the different farm visits and discussions. The book chapter was a collaborative process and was reviewed by each farmer to make sure the chapter and their quotes represented their perspectives.

Zoë also brought together members from the Heavy Meitheal tree planters group and other local community groups, a farming family, and a representative from Hometree, for a farm walk to learn about the challenges around farming and nature restoration. This guided walk followed a conversation between Ray Ó Foghlú (Hometree) and Tommy Reidy and his family that led participants through the history of the land and ecosystems as they walked through sheep grazed fields, plantation forestry and rare old woodland. The conversation touched on our oceanic rainforests and the sensitivity of the pearl mussel (present in the area) which affects the ability to change ecosystems like plantation forestry quickly. 

For her final local community event during the residency, Zoë held a public workshop in Dingle at the Féile na Bealtaine Festival in May 2025, exploring the stories and meanings of the uplands for non- farmer and landowners, combining creative systems thinking exercises with her own storytelling that would go on to form part of her final creative output.                                                                                                                                                              

For her final culmination event at Ardnaculla Summer School and creative output, Zoë created a soundwalk made with recordings from interviews with four farmers she was working with, continuing the conversations from the book chapter and workshop. The 40 minute soundwalk opens a portal into Corca Dhuibhne, as audience members are provided with a headset and invited to walk a guided route that takes them on a journey exploring the stories of the mountains over deep time, interwoven with the voices of local farmers. 


Community responses: 

“…any ideas that we had or anything that I thought was important to me, she never dismissed it, she listened to everybody's point of view and I felt like that was in it, you know? I feel like if you were talking to someone from the Department about something, they'd be like, ‘oh, yeah, Fionnuala loves the land, so we captured that’. Like I’d say my love of the land wouldn't even register with the Department.” (Fionnuala on the experience of making the soundwalk recording with Zoë).

Workshops, Talks and Performances:

Berlin Science Week 2025

Walking in the Stories of Our Mountains Soundwalk

IMMA Earth Rising Festival 2025

Walking in the Stories of Our Mountains Soundwalk
Dinnseanchas Exhibition
Utterly Butterly Complex Participatory Workshop with Jennifer Ahern

Ardnaculla Summer School 2025

Walking in the Stories of Our Mountains Soundwalk
Panel Discussion ‘Art / Ecology / Community’ with Barry O’Donoghue, Liza Fitzsimons, Zoë Rush and Heather Griffin

Féile na Bealtaine, 2005