In Search of Hy-Brasil

Peter Carroll, Peter Cody, Elizabeth Hatz, Mary Laheen and Joseph Mackey

Launch: Culture Night, Friday 20 September, 6pm – till 8pm

All are welcome, no booking required

Exhibition open daily from Saturday 21 Sep - 06 Oct  

Tuesday–Saturday 11am– 6pm / Sunday -  Monday 12 noon–5pm

Location: Festival Printworks Gallery, Market St.

Curated by a team of five architects: Peter Carroll, Peter Cody, Elizabeth Hatz, Mary Laheen and Joseph Mackey; Ireland’s national pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, In Search of Hy-Brasil, derives from an intense engagement with the islands of Ireland and is a direct provocation to all of us to reimagine the vast combined territory of land and ocean we call our home.

We are an island nation facing an uncertain future. The challenges of climate change, renewable energy, ethical food production and biodiversity must be met quickly, with purpose, renewing the lost equilibrium between ourselves and the natural world. In making this adjustment, our islands’ inventiveness in the face of adversity and creativity in response to having less provides us with the necessary tools and narratives to inspire more sustainable ways of living.

In bringing the installation to Solstice, the curators hope to share their project with an Irish audience, and through a related supporting programme of events, initiate a series of conversations around a shared vision for a more sustainable future.

A supporting programme of cultural events,  Island Celebrations, takes place around the content of the installation. The programme takes the form of supporting exhibitions, film screenings, related talks, tours and symposia.

Corresponding events will be found via our Instagram over the coming weeks, including Island conversations on Saturday 21st September: 2.30-4.00pm and on Sunday 22nd Spetember 2.30-4.00pm. Follow @ArchAtTheEdge for updates!

Live Drawing Project, Ballina

Live interactive public mapping projection

Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
Time: 10:30 - 16:30
Location: Ballina Arts Centre

Let’s Draw
Time: 8.30pm
Location: Hugh Ruddy & Co., Pearse Street, Ballina

The Live Drawing Project workshop is aimed at artists and others interested in learning about projection mapping and other related technology, including the animation of historic structures in Ballina which will bring the participants directly into the creative process as they contribute to the development of work for the Let’s Draw event later that evening at Hugh Ruddy & Co., Pearse Street, Ballina.

The Live Drawing Project is a French art collective that includes Maxime Touroute, Louis Clément, Maxime Hurdequint, Rémy Dupanloup and Guillaume Rahbari. They present events that create a large collaborative canvas on public buildings using state-of-the-art projection technology and give the public free access to software that they can use on their phone or tablet to make their drawings and have them appear in real time. This means that the content of canvas is constantly evolving. With the Live Drawing Project the public can create a collective artwork made of video projected drawings. The audience is invited to draw freely on their smartphones. Everyone can draw simultaneously. The drawings are video projected instantly on a wall. They appear, disappear, change colours, and move, creating a vivid composition both poetic and surprising.
Projections will also be livestreamed so that people can join in from home, draw online, and see their drawings appear by watching the livestream.

https://thelivedrawingproject.com/

Ag Lorg Hy-Brasil

Red Pepper Productions

2024 | Ireland | 85' | Feature Documentary Film

Film

Date: Sunday 22 September
Time: 8pm
Doors Open: Venue & Bar will open 60 mins before showtime. 
Location Town Hall Theatre

Ag Lorg Hy-Brasil ruminates on an ancient, mythical island off the Connemara coast and explores how it inspired Ireland’s national pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023.
The exhibition, In Search of Hy-Brasil, was curated by a team of five architects, Peter Carroll, Peter Cody, Elizabeth Hatz, Mary Laheen and Joseph Mackey. The project examines the relationship between the islands of Ireland and their natural environment and puts our islands’ diverse communities, culture, and experiences right at the centre of the discourse surrounding our shared future.

Architecture at the Edge are delighted to present an exclusive screening as part of a supporting programme of cultural events organised around the content of the installation. This special event includes a sneak peek at the eagerly awaited film documenting the making of ‘In search of Hy_Brasil’, with the cast and creative team in attendance. 

The special screening will take place on Sunday 22nd September, starting at 8:00pm, in the Town Hall Theatre. 

Director: Martin Danneels. 
Writer: Geoff Power. 
Producer: Laura Cranley

Post Show discussion will follow

Principal Funders: The Arts Council & TG4

Inishbofin Archaeological Walk

Guided tour led by by Michael Gibbons, Walking Ireland

Walk/Tour

Date: Wednesday September 25th, 2024 

Time: 11am, for 11.30am ferry / Return 5pm ferry.

Location: Cleggan Pier, Co Galway

Archaeological Field Trip to Inishbofin Island, exploring Bronze Age landscapes emerging from beneath the cutaway bogs and the 17th century fort that controls the natural harbour.

Inishbofin’s early settlement history is evident from the dozens of Bronze Age monuments, which we will see during our Field Trip.  The island was first mentioned by the Venerable Bede in the Early 8th Century and used as a refuge for Northumbrian Monks.  It was raided by the Vikings in 795AD and long retained strong associations with Anglo-Saxon England.  

Located on the border between the two powerful Gaelic maritime lordships of the O’Malley’s and the O’Flaherty’s, Inishbofin has a turbulent history.  It was the last Gaelic stronghold to fall to Cromwell and subsequently had strong links with 17th Century France and 18th Century America.  Its fragmented coastline boasts dramatic sea cliffs and sea caves and is home to a rich variety of marine life.

Tickets cost €30, Includes Ferry to the Island. Book here via Eventbrite

Photo courtesy www.walkingireland.com

Inisturk Walking Tour Island

Guided tour led by Islander Jack Heane

Walk/Tour

 Date: Thursday September 26th, 2024  

Time: 10am for 10.30am ferry / Return 5:15pm

Ferry Departs from: Roonagh Point, Louisburg, Co.Mayo F28W8P3

Tranquil, isolated and stunningly beautiful, Inishturk lies around 15km (9 miles) off the coast of County Mayo, nestled between the islands of Inishbofin and Clare. Inishturk Island juts out of the wild North Atlantic Ocean, reaching 189m (621ft) at its highest point stands the ruins of a Napoleonic era watchtower that was part of a network of towers from Mayo to Waterford.

Inishturk has been inhabited on and off since 4,000 BCE and has been inhabited permanently since at least 1700. Some of the more recent inhabitants are descended from evacuees from Inishark to the southwest.

On our walk we will talk about the islands bronze age past, its pirate coves and view the stunning cliffs. Our host, and Island native Jack Heane will be more than happy to talk about life on the island with a small community and the plans for helping it to survive in the future.

In 1993 Inishturk Community centre was opened, this community centre doubles as a library and a pub. The island is home to a primary school on the island which in 2011 had only 3 pupils, this believed to be the smallest primary school in Ireland.

Inisturk is one of the true gems sitting offshore our Island waiting for you to visit.

Cost including Ferry is €30

Ferry timetable available at https://inishturkpassengerferry.ie

Bring your walking boots and remember to wear appropriate clothing for the outdoors!

Soup and sandwiches will be made available on the island at the InisTurk Community Club, but would be advised to bring own additional drinks or snacks.

Guided tour of the Inishkea Islands

Guided tour led by Bill Duffy, Really Great Tours

Date: Friday 27th September 2024

Time: 09:30am start / Return 3:30pm

Meet up Blacksod Lighthouse, Fallmore, Co. Mayo, F26 KC7V

Local company really great tours was borne from a desire to tell the stories of Blacksod, Inishkea, The Mullet Peninsula and North County Mayo in an accessible, interesting way. Eco tourism professional Bill Duffy leads groups and individuals on fascinating, eco-friendly walking tours as well as low impact bus tours, taking the time to tell the stories which would otherwise be lost in time.

A guided tour of the historic Blacksod Village and boat trip to the remote Inishkea Islands. Visitors will be guided through the unique history, architecture and stories of Blacksod Village before boarding the boat for a 40 minute sail to the Inishkea Islands, where the guided tour will continue. Inishkea Islands are a unique and interesting place, with a strong cultural significance in relation to the West of Ireland. Guests will be blown away by the regional, national and international tales associated with the islands, which are often painted as bleak and barren places. In fact, tight-knit communities on the islands flourished during times of national hardship! 

Cost including Ferry to the Island is €50

Bring your walking boots and remember to wear appropriate clothing for the outdoors!  Be advised to bring own packed lunch or snacks.

Faith in the Future - Exhibition

Exhibition

Date: Friday 27/09 - Monday 30/09 and Friday 04/10 - Sunday 06/10

Opening Hours: 12pm - 5pm

A close look at revitalising church buildings and their curtilage; an exhibition of architectural drawings and models along with crios-weaving workshops St. John's Church, Ballinasloe, and a felting workshop and talk at the Mick Lally theatre.

An exhibition at St. John's Church during the Ballinasloe Horse Fair exploring the adaptive reuse of two historic sites in East Galway, St. John's and Holy Trinity Church, Aughrim, through craft and the use of sustainable timber structures. The exhibition features architectural drawings and scale models created by young architects collaborating between Ireland and Belgium, building on their engagement with these places and their communities during last year’s festival. In addition, there will be three hands-on crios-weaving workshops, offering participants the chance to engage directly with traditional crafts while reflecting on the themes of heritage and community.

At the Mick Lally Theatre, there will be a felting workshop, followed by a talk presenting the work of the Faith in the Future project so far.

Event Organiser

Faith in the Future is led by Beibhinn Delaney, in collaboration with Marie-Caroline Kawa, Lara Clifford & Caoimhe Walsh. Support comes from the Arts Council, Donegal Yarns & Ballinasloe Credit Union.

Faith in the Future - Crios-Weaving Workshops

Workshop

Date: 14:00 - 16:00 Friday 04/10, Saturday 05/10 & Sunday 06/10

Opening Hours: 12pm - 5pm

A close look at revitalising church buildings and their curtilage; an exhibition of architectural drawings and models along with crios-weaving workshops St. John's Church, Ballinasloe, and a felting workshop and talk at the Mick Lally theatre.

An exhibition at St. John's Church during the Ballinasloe Horse Fair exploring the adaptive reuse of two historic sites in East Galway, St. John's and Holy Trinity Church, Aughrim, through craft and the use of sustainable timber structures. The exhibition features architectural drawings and scale models created by young architects collaborating between Ireland and Belgium, building on their engagement with these places and their communities during last year’s festival. In addition, there will be three hands-on crios-weaving workshops, offering participants the chance to engage directly with traditional crafts while reflecting on the themes of heritage and community.

At the Mick Lally Theatre, there will be a felting workshop, followed by a talk presenting the work of the Faith in the Future project so far.

Event Organiser

Faith in the Future is led by Beibhinn Delaney, in collaboration with Marie-Caroline Kawa, Lara Clifford & Caoimhe Walsh. Support comes from the Arts Council, Donegal Yarns & Ballinasloe Credit Union.

.WAY

Brock Finucane

Exhibition, Research, Design

Launch date: Sep 27th, 15.00 - 21.00

Exhibition running from Friday 27th September - Sunday 6th October 2024

Opening hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5.30pm
Sunday 12 noon–5pm, Closed Mondays

 Location: Outset Gallery, Unit 15, The Cornstore, Galway City

.Way is a body of research and examinations of potential futures for Mulranny proposed by a team of Architects, Landscape Architects, Artist and Educators.

Mulranny is a coastal community on the periphery.  It is a town shaped geographically and culturally by movement. Overlooking the archipelago of drowned drumlin islands nestled in Clew Bay, it sits on a landscape formed on the margin of glacial systems and is shadowed by the vast Nephin mountain range.  The town sits at the intersection of rural and wild. It once punctuated the landscape as Victorian tourist destination but is now a threshold town to the Corraun Peninsula, Mullet Peninsula and Achill Island.  Subject to relentless weather fronts from the Atlantic, it is now enduring the increasing impacts of climate change.

Initially commissioned as a project to examine a spatial plan for Mulranny, the body of work has, and is extending to, research, test, and proposal – asking how we find our way through and situate ourselves in a moving landscape shaped and scarred by both the static and dynamic – infrastructure, settlement, climate, way.

Event Organiser

Brock Finucane is led by Nicci Brock and Ruairi Finucane.  The practice is engaged in research, design and education. .Way collaborators are Lucas Dobbin, Sarah Fox, Rodhlann Mossop, James Mooney, Alex Pollock.

TAKA Architects: Transmission

Lecture

Date:           Friday 27th September, 2024
4:30pm:       Public reception
5:00pm:       Presentations by Taka Architects and Shane de Blacam.
7:15pm:       Round table hosted by Marko Milovanovic.
Location:     O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance

TAKA Architects was founded in 2008, by Alice Casey and Cian Deegan and is based in Dublin, Ireland. 

The practice has received national and international awards; including being shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Van der Rohe European Union Prize, finalist in the BD Young Architect of the Year Award and Royal Academy Dorfman Award, and winner of the AR Peter Davey Prize for Emerging Architecture 2019.
TAKA has exhibited in the Venice Architecture Biennale several times: in 2008 as an exhibitor in the Irish National Pavilion, in 2010 as co-curator of the Irish National Pavilion, and in 2018 as an exhibitor in the Central Pavilion.

Alice & Cian have taught Architecture at Queens University Belfast, University College Dublin, and currently at the Dublin School of Architecture (TU Dublin). They have both been a recipient of the EU Marie Curie/ Adapt-R research fellowship and completed PhDs by Practice with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in 2017.

Shane de Blacam Lecture

In partnership Arts in Action at the University of Galway

Date: Friday 27th September, 2024

Full line up for ther evening;

4:00pm Public reception, presentation.

4:30pm Introduction, Marko Milovanovic

5:00 p.m Lecture Shane de Blacam.

Break

7:00 p.m Lecture by Cian Deegan and Alice Casey, TAKA Architects

7:30 pm - Round table discussion will follow with moderator Marko Milovanovic.

Location: O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance

Shane De Blacam formed the architectural practice de Blacam and Meagher with John Meagher in 1976. De Blacam’s buildings are characterised by their simplicity and their celebration of local materials. Throughout his career, he has been concerned with creating spaces for people to come together, including the sensitively restored Abbeyleix Library in Laois and the elegant Samuel Beckett Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin. Before forming his practice with Meagher, de Blacam worked in London with the architects of the Barbican Centre, Chamberlain, Powell and Bon. He then travelled to America where he worked with Louis I. Khan for two years on the Mellon Centre for British Art and British Studies, Yale University, New Haven Connecticut.

Shane de Blacam was awarded the 2023 RA Architecture Prize.  He will deliver a lecture with slides originally delivered at the Royal Academy London October 2023.

To complete the line-up of the evening, architects Cian Deegan and Alice Casey from Taka Architects will be in Galway to present their work and join with our moderator Marko Milovanovic, for discussion.

Admission is free upon reservation.

In partnership Arts in Action at the University of Galway.

Supported by Arts Council of Ireland. 

Shane De Blacam was born Dublin 14th October 1945. B.Arch. (NUI) 1968, M. Arch. (PENN) 1970, MRIAI 1972, RIBA 1976, FRIAI 1986, HLFRSAI 1994. Grade 1 Conservation Architect 2003. Undergraduate School of Architecture University College Dublin 1963-68 Post graduate School of Architecture University of Pennsylvania USA 1969-70. Worked in London with Chamberlain, Powell and Bon, and Philadelphia with Louis I. Khan where Shane worked for two years on the Mellon Centre for British Art and British Studies Yale University New Haven Connecticut. 1972 returned to Ireland as first year master at the School of Architecture, University College Dublin. Commenced practice de Blacam and Meagher 1976. Shane worked in architectural partnership with John Meagher in Dublin for 45 years until John died, early 2021. They shared a friendship and close exchange of criticism and drawings and shared design responsibility for the work of de Blacam and Meagher, sometimes with others in the practice. Gold Medal and five silver medals for architecture and conservation including the Gandon Medal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, Europa Nostra Silver medal, member of AOSDANA an institution to honour achievement in art of the Government of Ireland, and the Royal Academy London Architecture Prize 2023.

TAKA

Alice Casey studied architecture in TU Dublin (DIT) graduating in 2003. after spending time gaining professional experience in London and Dublin, Alice co-founded TAKA in Dublin in 2007. Alice has taught architecture in UCD, Queen’s University Belfast, and TU Dublin – where she currently teaches in the masters in architecture and professional diploma in architectural practice courses. Alice holds a PhD by practice from RMIT, is an RIAI architect accredited in conservation at grade 3, and is registered with the architect’s registration board in the UK. Alice examines candidates for membership of the RIAI and has been a member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland since 2007. Cian Deegan studied architecture in TU Dublin (DIT) graduating in 2003. after spending time gaining professional experience in London (with Niall McLaughlin architects) and Dublin (with O’Donnell & Tuomey), Cian co-founded TAKA in Dublin in 2007. Cian has taught architecture in UCD, Queen’s University Belfast, and TU Dublin, where he is currently a lecturer. Cian holds a PhD by practice from RMIT and has been a member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland since 2007.

Marko Milovanovic has been selected as our Shane de Blacam Resident.

Marko is an architect, artist, journalist and founder of @freeschoolof and @mylomark. The educational platform Free School Of celebrates dialogue as a fundamental form of knowledge. Marko has interviewed artists, architects, curators, and scholars and written extensively on culture, politics and urban regeneration. He teaches at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Royal College of Art, and Oxford Brookes University.  

The Shane de Blacam Residency has been created in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, London.  The project that will be showcased is "Temptation of Influence" by British architect, artist, and journalist Marko Milovanovic. It consists of a selection of video and audio recorded interviews, photographs, video documentation, and a visual and written essay on Influence within the Field of Architecture.  This multimedia project is a collection of video and audio artefacts documenting the architectural legacy and philosophy of architect Shane de Blacam. This conversational piece examines influence across generations and cultures, focusing on de Blacam’s work and his connections to his predecessors, such as Andrea Palladio and his mentor Louis Kahn, as well as his students, who are now prominent Irish and British architects.

Lilliput Press

Architect John Twomey

First Quarter

An evening of conversation, reading and song celebrating the publication of John Twomey’s memoir First Quarter.

Date: Friday, 27 September 2024 
Time: 8pm
Cost: €15
Location: The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar.

Please join us to celebrate the publication of First Quarterby John Tuomey. In First Quarter, architect John Tuomey navigates the places and memories of his life over twenty-five years. Published by Lilliput Press, First Quarter is a personal and poetical account of childhood in Irish villages and country towns, student life in Dublin and youthful employment in London.

John Tuomey is an Irish architect, co-founder of O’Donnell + Tuomey and designer of social and cultural buildings at home and abroad. He was the inaugural Professor of Architectural Design at University College Dublin. Joint recipient with Sheila O’Donnell of the RIBA Royal Gold Medaland American Academy of Arts and Letters Brunner Prize. He is a member of Aosdána.

Jean Tuomey (John’s middle sister) will read some poems to accompany his memoir. Her collection, Swept Back (Lapwing), was launched in the Linenhall in December 2022. A former teacher, she now facilitates writing groups for creative and therapeutic purposes.

David Tuomey (John's younger brother) will sing some songs mentioned in the memoir. Accompanied by Teresa Burke, vocals and guitar, and Kevin Frain, guitar.

Pat Ruane, architect, former Conservation Officer with Cork City Council, now back home in Mayo, will introduce the evening and continue in conversation with John.

Doors and wine reception from 7.30pm.

John will be available to sign copies of First Quarter after the event.

Constructed Landscape of Inis Oírr

Noreile Breen

Exhibition

Date: Saturday, 28 September 2024
Time: 11am - 6pm
Location: Foyer, the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid ln. Galway

A photographic study of the 'humanised' constructed landscape of Inis OÍrr.

The stone walls of Inis Oírr fuse and interact with the islands ground condition. Architecture is ultimately spatial and space is made between this given ground condition and the constructed walls enclosure. This photographic study focuses on this three dimensional sectional connection, relationship and interaction.

Noreile Breen studied architecture at the Dublin School of Architecture, DIT. She worked with Atelier Bow-Wow in Japan and Steve Larkin Architects before establishing her own practice which is based between Dublin and Kerry. Noreile has taught architecture at KTH Stockholm, Bergen School of Architecture, Parsons School of Design New York, Queens University Belfast and the School of Architecture University Limerick where she is currently a lecturer. Noreile is the recipient of a number of awards, a registered architect with the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and a Grade 3 Architect Accredited in Conservation.

In November 2022, she undertook a 7 month residency on Inis Oírr, the Aran Islands; 1450 acres of a ‘Humanised Landscape’ composed of limestone formations and walled sheltered constructed fields without trees. Inis Oírr is the third landscape in context of a larger body of work; A study of landscape types of the island of Ireland which started at Bothár Buí’s Cleanderry Wood; A Natural Habitat and continues at Tullynally Demense; 1500 acres of a Cultivated Landscape.

Noreile will deliver an Artist Talk on Saturday 05th October at 2.00 pm in the Theatre.

Tour Enniscoe House

Date: 28th September 2024

Time: 1 pm

Location: Enniscoe House, Castlehill, Ballina. Co Mayo F26 EA34

FREE tour led by DJ Kellett, will show how the late 18th century “new” house was built onto the “old” house, and the care taken to marry the exterior of both.

www.enniscoe.com

Tour Ballyglass Lighthouse

Date: Saturday 28th September
Time: 3pm
Location: Ballyglass Lighthouse, Ballyglass, Co. Mayo

Mark Stephens Architects - talk on the historic maritime structures at Ballyglass Lighthouse, with a tour of the conservation and restoration works to the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage, adjacent to Ballyglass Lighthouse at Gubbacashel Point, Co. Mayo.

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Mayo County Council’s Architectural Conservation Office supports works to promote the repair and re-use of historic structures and provided funding for the conservation works at Ballyglass Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage.

Mark Stpehens, MRIAI Architect, Accredited in Conservation at Grade 3 will present the history of the lighthouse and associated structures and discuss his approach to the conservation, repair and restoration of the Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage. The tour will also include access to the film-set designed for the forthcoming feature film ‘Cry from the Sea’.

The Story of Hospitality

Jennie Moran/Luncheonette

Performance, Lecture, Celebration

Date: Sunday 29th September
Time: 14:00
Location: The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, Galway

What is hospitality and why does it matter? This performance is a celebration of the gorgeous system we have invented for welcoming strangers. We will delve into the origins of this poetic practice, the risks involved, the philosophy behind it, the strict rules, the honour attached to it, the folklore that surrounds it. This is an invitation to see hospitality, not as an industry, but as a gut instinct that we humans have for generosity and coexistence and to reconsider our role as hosts to one another.

Story of Hospitality is written by Jennie Moran/Luncheonette and animated by dance artist Roberta Ceginskaite and accompanied by musician Seamas Hyland.

Jennie Moran is an Irish visual artist who uses the philosophy of hospitality to create opportunities for shared connection. She runs Luncheonette, an emergency response unit which uses food to make places better. She has written a book entitled How to Soften Corners about the impact of hospitality in institutions.  

Roberta Ceginskaiteis a creator and dancer based in Galway. She graduated in Contemporary Dance from Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Tilburg. On return to Ireland, Roberta partook in the Step Up Dance Project, working with choreographer Fearghus Ó’Conchúir. She recently presented her solo piece ‘Spoonful’ at the What Next 2023 festival in Limerick and continues to create her own work thanks to the Arts Council Agility Award, the HATCH mentorship award from Dance Ireland and the Galway Dance Project.

Seamas Hyland, native of west Waterford is a multi-instrumentalist, set dancer and singer. He is currently based in Dublin and is working to release a solo button accordion album in 2023. He plays in a duet project with banjo player Paddy Cummins and is a full-time member of the Mary Wallopers

 Supported by the Arts Council

Photo by Pablo Marín García

Inis Mór Archaeological Walk

Guided tour led by Michael Gibbons, Walking Ireland

Walk/Tour

Date: Monday September 30th, 2024  
Time: 10am for 10.30am ferry / Return 5pm
Location: Rossaveal Pier, Co Galway  
Link to Ferry Departure location HERE

Archaeological Field Trip to Inis Mór, exploring the karst limestone and the rich Celtic Forts which dominate the western fringes of Europe.

Inis Mór has been settled for at least the last 6,000 years and is ribbed by a filigree network of stone walls, some dating back to these Prehistoric times. The skyline is crowned by spectacular Forts and an array of very beautifully sited Early Monastic Sites. We will explore the most famous site on the island, which is undoubtedly Dún Aengus, a 3,000-year-old: 14-acre cliff-edge fortress: surrounded by the best-preserved example of Chevaux-de-Frise in European archaeology and is the site of the discovery of a Palaeolithic hand axe (c.300,000 years old).

We will also explore the rich monastic sites as the island is famously associated with St Enda, one of the giants of Early Irish Monasticism, although his main monastery was demolished during the Elizabethan and later Cromwellian conquest of the island.

Tickets cost €30, Includes Ferry to the Island.

Bring your walking boots and wear appropriate clothing for the outdoors!  

Event Image* General View with Dún Aengus on the cliff edge.

Photo courtesy Walking Ireland.

Dérive

Hedwig van der Linden & Kevin Westerveld

Introducing architecture: free talk for 16-25 year olds 

Date: Tuesday 01 October
Time: 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Location: The Mick Lally Theatre

A collaboration founded by Hedwig van der Linden and Kevin Westerveld, Dérive is a research-driven practice operating between architecture, public space and urban strategies.

In this talk the duo will discuss their practice and reflect on what it means to think creatively and discuss the impact architecture can have on our environments. This talk frames architecture as a creative discipline like art or music and invites especially younger audiences to think differently about their places and spaces. 

Hedwig van der Linden trained as an architect at Delft University of Technology and is co-founder of design practice Dérive, operating from Brussels and Rotterdam. She gained experience as a researcher at the Chair of Area Development in Delft on the role of design research as a strategic tool and at Architecture Workroom Brussels she worked on design and cultural production for the transformation of the social and physical living environment. Hedwig is a guest tutor at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft. 

Kevin Westerveld studied architecture at Delft University of Technology and ETH Zürich. After working at international offices such as OMA and 51N4E, he co-founded design practice Dérive – based in Brussels and Rotterdam. Kevin seeks synergy between conceptual thinking and co-creative practice by providing space for dialogue and creating local coalitions within complex transition challenges – consciously starting from the qualities and resources of existing habitats. Hedwig is a guest tutor at the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft. 

Project description

Kevin and Hedwig are supporting one of the projects in the Architecture at the Edge Design Lab bursaries programme 2024 in collaboration with the Galway Culture Company.

This project inspires students to influence their local community spaces for the benefit of the locality through rejuvenating and reviving the hidden heritage behind the 6m high limestone walls of the Mountbellew Walled Garden by creating a new community gathering space. This will act as a catalyst for the gardens long term renovation, an initiative largely supported by the community. 

There is a history of storytelling in the rural villages of Galway, and Mountbellew is no different. The history of storytelling, entertainment and enjoyment at Lady’s Seat within the network of gravel stone paths and remains of the peach growing house and potting sheds; the community will unlock a new space for gathering where the students design and construct places to sit and relax – referring to the ‘hortus conclusus’. Gathering spaces will form through the unison of these installations combining natural local materials and recycled resources. As a festive inauguration and appropriation of this place, the students and the local community will discover their surroundings during a walking workshop using different senses and lenses.

Building societies: architecture in Irish artists’ film 

Selected by Gavin Murphy

Film Screening

Date: Tuesday 01 Oct, 2024

Time: 6pm – 8:30pm

Location: Pálás Cinema, 15 Merchants Rd Lower, Galway

Building societies presents the film work of four Irish artists Anne Maree Barry, Fiona Hallinan, Eva George Richardson McCrea, and Dennis McNulty. The films engage with architecture as subject through a variety of formal and narrative approaches, yet all concern the lived experience of buildings, and explore the forces that drive the development of our built environment, be they colonial powers, progressive modernism, the church, or speculative capitalism. 

Dennis McNulty's Carbon Dating juxtaposes the margin drawings from American urban planner and author Kevin Lynch's What Time is This Place with an interview with an academic who used to work at the University of East Anglia, a Brutalist campus in Norwich, UK.  

Anne Maree Barry's Otium cum Dignitate ~ Leisure with Dignity combines psychogeographic walking tours of the 'Monto' area in Dublin to create a film that establishes a dialogue between locality, history, and architecture, to present a complex portrait of female empowerment.

In Eva George Richardson McCrea's Rope, three men sit around a table in the decaying corpse of a building as they engage in small talk about holidays and hobbies, have a conversation about Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Rope, and discuss various aspects of property development.

Fiona Hallinan's Making Dust is a portrait of the demolition of Ireland's second largest Catholic Church, the Church of the Annunciation in Finglas West, Dublin. Informed by Ultimology, a practice of looking closely at endings, it invites its audience to think about the life cycles of buildings and materials, what we value, and issues of sustainability in architecture.

Building societies was originally screened at Composite, Melbourne to coincide with exhibition The necessity of ruins (Films 2012—2023) by artist Gavin Murphy, with the support of The Arts Council and Culture Ireland, and presented in collaboration with aemi and Pallas Projects.

Screening Program: 

Dennis McNulty, Carbon Dating (2011), 05:35

Anne Maree Barry, Otium cum Dignitate ~ Leisure with Dignity (2017), 23:29 

Eva Richardson McCrea, Rope (2022), 14:26

Fiona Hallinan, Making Dust (2023), 45:00

The programme will be followed by a discussion with artist filmmakers, Anne Maree Barry, Fiona Hallinan and architectural historian Ellen Rowley.

Event curated by Gavin Murphy, co-director of Pallas Projects/Studios.

Screening as part of the Architecture at the Edge Festival 2024.

Clare Island Archaeological Walk

Guided tour led by Michael Gibbons, Walking Ireland

Walk/Tour

Date: Wednesday October 2nd, 2024 

Time: 10am, for 10.35am ferry / Return 4.30pm ferry.

Ferry departs from Roonagh Pier

Archaeological Field Trip to Clare Island led by Michael Gibbons, exploring the hidden ancient landscapes and vibrant seascapes of Grace O’Malley home, where she traded and raided in Medieval Ireland. 

The Clare Island Surveys Old (Praeger 1909-11) and New (Meyers 2002/7) trace the history of human occupation and its impact on the landscape of this small remote western island.  Clare Island’s history is complex and dates from pre-historic times, it’s two peaks (Knockmore 462 and Knockneveen 233) provide the mountainous background to an archaeological landscape where megalithic tombs lie within a Bronze Age landscape compete with dozens of Fulacht Fia (ancient cooking sties) and a very important Early Monastic site and Medieval castle overlooking the harbour complete the archaeological pictures.  Grace O’Malley (Granuaile) was born here, she was part of the maritime world where trading with Europe was common place and raiding with neighbours and passing ships was also common place.

Cost including Ferry is €30

Bring your walking boots and to wear appropriate clothing for the outdoors!

Lough Corrib 471

Helena McElmeel Architects

Launch: Wednesday 2nd October, 7pm – late.

All are welcome, no booking required

Exhibition running from Wednesday 2nd October until Monday 7th October

Location: Kilbeg Pier, Knockferry Pier on Lough Corrib

Interactive installations on Kilbeg and Knockferry piers codesigned with students from local primary schools on both sides of the lake connecting both communities to the water, built heritage and piers of Lough Corrib.

471m of water separates the communities to east and west of Lough Corrib - it takes 5 minutes by boat or 50 minutes by car to connect these communities. The project brings together young people on both sides of the lake through a series of fieldtrips and collaborative design workshops, connecting both communities to the water, built heritage and piers of Lough Corrib. 

The project so far has involved collaboration between four local primary schools, local artists, local organisations & community groups around Lough Corrib. Partners of the project include The Corrib Beo Catchment Partnership - a coalition of communities, environmentalists and voluntary groups dedicated to the care, protection and sustainable development of the Corrib, its catchment landscapes, rivers and canals; Architecture at the Edge (AATE) and Headford & District Association (‘Something in the Water Festival’).

The design workshop and fieldtrip process has informed the design of two interactive installations on both Kilbeg and Knockferry piers - on the axis of the historic ferry route. The temporary installations will be formed using scaffolding structures and incorporate lighting and the artistic work created by the primary school students throughout the project.

Supported by:

Faith in the Future - Wet-Felting Workshop + Talk

Workshop, Talk

Wet-Felting Workshop 12:00 - 14:00

Talk 14:00 - 16:00

FREE to attend

A close look at revitalising church buildings and their curtilage; an exhibition of architectural drawings and models along with crios-weaving workshops St. John's Church, Ballinasloe, and a felting workshop and talk at the Mick Lally theatre.

An exhibition at St. John's Church during the Ballinasloe Horse Fair exploring the adaptive reuse of two historic sites in East Galway, St. John's and Holy Trinity Church, Aughrim, through craft and the use of sustainable timber structures. The exhibition features architectural drawings and scale models created by young architects collaborating between Ireland and Belgium, building on their engagement with these places and their communities during last year’s festival. In addition, there will be three hands-on crios-weaving workshops, offering participants the chance to engage directly with traditional crafts while reflecting on the themes of heritage and community.

At the Mick Lally Theatre, there will be a felting workshop, followed by a talk presenting the work of the Faith in the Future project so far.

Event Organiser

Faith in the Future is led by Beibhinn Delaney, in collaboration with Marie-Caroline Kawa, Lara Clifford & Caoimhe Walsh. Support comes from the Arts Council, Donegal Yarns & Ballinasloe Credit Union.

Talks on the Town

HeritACT, Ballina

Talks

Date: Thursday 03rd October

Time: 19:00-21:00

Location: The Former Fashion Shop, Pearse Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo F26 A6D0

Join us for an evening of Talks on the Town at The Former Fashion Shop where we will hear about the discovery of Ballina’s missing castle by Ard na Riagh Preservation Group, the architectural history of All Hallows Convent and the community’s involvement in repairing the structure. This event is part of our HeritACT project. Come share your thoughts and engage with others passionate about discovering more about our cultural heritage.

Refreshments will be provided.

HeritACT is funded by Horizon Europe which is the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation.

Clachans: Narratives for New neighbourhoods

Proctor and Matthews Architects

Talk, Discussion

Date: Friday, 04 October 2024
Time: 17:00 - 19:00
Location: The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, Galway

Presentation by Stephen Proctor, alongside Andrew Matthews, co-founders Proctor and Matthews Architects.

The presentation will focus on the design by Proctor and Matthews Architects for a recently completed residential development at Wilkinson’s Brook, Tyrrelstown,  Fingal.

Taking initial inspiration from the historic Irish Clachan clusters, this project and other recent work looks to create low rise higher density neighbourhoods with a defined sense of place,  identity and belonging : an approach which proffers an alternative to ubiquitous low density, car-dominated suburbia.

They will be joined by Dr. Eoin Flaherty, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, National University of Ireland Maynooth and author of 'Rundale and 19th Century Irish Settlement: System, Space, and Genealogy' for conversation.

Supported by Patrick McCabe Architects

Patrick McCabe | B.Arch, FRIAI, RIBA, Grade 2 Conservation Architect, was instigator and chairman of Open House Galway, The West of Ireland Architectural Festival, and former chairman of the Western Group of Architects.

Hailing from Dublin, Patrick graduated in architecture from UCD in 1984. Having worked in London, he then became design director of a prominent practice in Galway, steering it to substantial growth and receiving multiple awards along the way.

He founded Patrick McCabe Architects in 2013, with a mission to make architecture that works, and now feels lucky to be able to concentrate on what he loves best—the contemporary home.

Patrick died suddenly in June 2021and sadly missed by his beloved wife of 35 years, Sarah Kelly, their children Barry, Grace and Cillian, the extended McCabe and Kelly family and also by his colleagues and friends in Architecture, Construction and sport in Galway, Mayo, Dublin and beyond.

Ballina HeritACT Co-Envisioning Day

Talk, Discussion, Walk/Tour, Workshop, Exhibition

Date: Saturday 05th October
Time: 10:00-17:00
Location: HeritHUB, Ballina Library, Pearse Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo.

Join the Ballina Co-Envisioning Day at the HeritHUB in Ballina Library. Connecting communities through an integrated and participatory approach to the cultural heritage and future of Ballina this HeritACT event aims to engage the local community in collaborative design processes to facilitate sustainable urban development.

Focusing on sustainable approaches participants will explore potential solutions for sites in Ballina through a series of interactive activities. These include a guided walk, and digital engagement exercises designed to assess, and negotiate site-specific interventions for selected historic sites in Ballina. The day will conclude with feedback and discussions on the outcomes, guiding the design and location of six potential solutions. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

‘Introduction to the HeritACT project and the 3-step project process (Co-Recognition, Co-Envisioning, Co-Implementation).

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Sense-Making Activity Using SustainACT

Identify impacts of the proposed HeritACT solutions.

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Story Map of Ballina Presentation

Presentation on the research activities and the proposed HeritACT activation sites.

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Walk, Talk, and Lunch Activity 

Guided walk around Ballina, visiting the proposed sites exploring the historical context and potential solutions. Packed lunch provided.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: World Café & Empathy Mapping Activity using NegoDesign. 

Evaluate and vote on the suitability of sites for the HeritACT activation solutions.

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Community Mapping Activity Using Design Your Heritage

Design optimal solutions for one of the historic sites, with a focus on critiquing and improving proposed HeritACT activation solutions.

4:30 PM: Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Recap of the day, completion of feedback forms, and information on upcoming HeritACT events.’

Galway’s Public Archipelago (Islands)

Film Shorts

Date: Saturday, 5 October 2024
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Location: Pálás Cinema, 15 Merchants Rd Lower, Galway

Tickets: FREE

Interested in how architecture and film shape our sense of belonging? Then join us for the 

Premiere of short 3min films produced during the past week from participants at the Architecture at the Edge Festival film + architecture workshop, 2024. 

Architecture at the Edge and Copenhagen Architecture Festival, CAFx partnered up to organize a film & architecture workshop focusing on creative filmmaking and the relationships between negotiation, conviviality, and the impact of sites on personal experience. This is the result! 

A series of  3min film shorts made in and about Galway City. 

During the one-week program led by Sabrina Morreale + Lorenzo Perri, Lemonot studio with Sofie Stilling, from the Royal Danish Academy, we explored Galway’s Public Archipelago (Islands). Participants were introduced to practices of investigative observation, archival research, and new ways of documenting and mapping the city - interrogating issues of land ownership, environmental, ecological and physical qualities of the landscape as well considering the human interactions, the convivial strategies of resistance created by citizens, and applied this knowledge to create their own short films documenting or addressing design solutions found in the built, grown and/or planned environment of Galway city.

Supported by: the Arts Council and Screen Ireland, Skills Development Funding Scheme

Once Upon A Sound

Hosted by Dónal Dineen

Date: Saturday 05 Oct
Time: 7pm – late.
Tickets: €10
Location: The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, Galway

Donal Dineen is an Irish DJ, radio presenter and film maker. A pioneering force for a generation of music fans, Donal is renowned for his deep passion for music as well as a curator of unique multi-disciplinary events.  Current projects include the music podcast Make Me An Island and a documentary film Dance to Remember which will premiere at the Kerry Film Festival in October.

Dónal will be hosting a special live edition of his Once Upon A Sound video series at AATE where he'll be exploring music as a source of inspiration for creative minds working in other media.

Taking our cue from the Desert Island Discs programme first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1942, guests will be invited to choose a selection of audio recordings that they would take with them if they were to be cast away on a desert island as a jump-off point for a discussion about the role sound plays in their practice.

Details of invited guests to be announced! Follow @ArchAtTheEdge for updates. 

Ticket holders are invited to join us later as we continue into the night with dancing till late!

Please note this event will be recorded. 

SEMAPHORE

Tom Cookson + Sarah Carroll

Exhibition

Date: Friday 27 September - Sunday, 6 October 2024
Time: 11:00 - 17:00
Location: The Shed, Middle Pier, Galway Harbour

Our project explores the built phenomenon of Irish signal towers and their position within the wider tradition of optical maritime communication. We are interested in the physical act of signalling to distant points and the distinctly Irish application of this technology. In response to a much feared French invasion in the early 1800s, a constellation of 81 signal towers were constructed along the periphery of the island. Signalling was achieved by means of flags and balls, relaying messages to and from inland locations and to ships at sea.

Our project culminates in an architectural installation within the maritime environment of Galway Docks. We will explore the idea of semaphore through a series of physical objects, unearthing and communicating the cultural history of signalling through words, artefacts and drawings.

Corresponding events will be found via the link in our Instagram bio over the coming weeks featuring an Artists Talk  on Saturday 05th October 3.00pm.

Summerage The Burren

Haslam & Co

Tour

Date: Sunday 06 Oct
Time: 3pm (1 hour and 30 minutes approx)
FREE
Location: Summerage is a 3km drive from the Poulnabrone Dolmen and five kilometres from the coastal village of Ballyvaughan. Eircode to be shared upon event registration.

Architect led tour with Mike Haslam, Haslam & Co.

Summerage channels the spirit of The Burren for a new rural retreat in one of Europe’s most unique landscapes.

 Revived 32 acre farmstead in the west coast of Ireland becomes a dedicated ‘slow living’ escape in the heart of a glacio karst landscape gifting space, time and a deeper connection with nature

Founded by slow food restaurateur and slow fashion entrepreneur Aoibheann MacNamara, Summerage is sited in a area of special area of conservation with 360 degree views of Ireland’s most biodiverse region

Described as ‘a place apart’, the renovated farm cottage with extension by ecological architects Haslam & Co , this sustainable and ecologically conscious restoration of a traditional Irish farmhouse has created an escape to appreciate the space and stillness of 360 degree views across its 32 acres.