A dark image of intertwined foliage. A mixture of plants typically found in an Irish hedgerow, including ivy, brambles and moss. Over this image in light grey are the words Caoineadh Dúlra. The logos of the project supporters run across the bottom of the image. These are: The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltach, Sport & Media, 2023 Cooperation with Northern Ireland Scheme, Creative Ireland, Cavan Arts Office, Cavan County Council, Aughakillymaude Community Center, Sustainable NI, Irish Hospice Foundation and Cavan Adventure Centre.

Caoineadh Dúlra

Confronting climate grief through art, music, and reflection.

 

A series of events exploring pressing issues of biodiversity loss and climate grief while commemorating the artistic, cultural, and musical heritage of the Island of Ireland. These events foster cross-border collaboration, brought together communities from both sides of the border in a collective effort to address the shared environmental crisis.

An Evening Exploring Caoineadh and Climate Grief
Sunday 15 Oct, 2023

Aughakillymaude Centre, Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh

Exploring Caoineadh or Keening with UCC’s Marian Caulfield, a leading expert in the field. A round table discussion lead by environmental artist AlanJames Burns  local with Marian and biodiversity expert Heather Bothwell. There were also live performances of lament airs by Kerry McCabe and Caoineadh by Róis Connolly, both traditional musicians from Co. Fermanagh.

This evening of haunting music, emotive pros, and engaging discussion united the audience in a powerful collective experience focused on the losses caused by our shared environmental crisis. By processing grief and redefining environmental loss as a cohesive bond , Caoineadh Dúlra aims to inspire attendees to take meaningful action in preserving the precious natural resources across the island of Ireland.

Caoineadh Residential Workshop
14 & 15 Oct, 2023

Jampa Ling Centre, Bawnboy, Cavan

Discovering the ancient practice of Caoineadh or Keening this transformative workshop was led by Tanya Bryan, a psychotherapist and keening expert. Participants experienced the cathartic expression of shared personal and ecological grief and connected with Irish heritage through the therapeutic power of sound and spontaneous collective experience. Revitalising traditional skill sets for processing grief offers us tools through which we can re-engage with and reframe environmental loss – not as a state of disconnection and isolation, but as a collective, unifying experience, which can be channelled as a catalyst for change.

Caoineadh Dúlra was a groundbreaking series of events, in conjunction with artist AlanJames Burns’s ambitious theatrical project The Waking Walls (8 & 9 September 2023). The project is based on a three year research and development period by artist AlanJames Burns that has connected people from both sides of the border and has utilised cultural heritage methodologies that foster collective wellbeing.

Caoineadh Dúlra was funded and supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltach, Sport & Media, Co-operation with Northern Ireland Scheme, Cavan Arts Office, Irish Hospice Foundation, Cavan Adventure Centre, Caoineadh expert Marian Caulfield and Tanya Bryan, Psychotherapist, A Time To Gather.

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