Ballydehob couldn’t be more different to the pulsing energy of Belfast. We replaced bustling streets with rolling fields, thousands of people with around 270 people and a surging electric city with a serene, quiet way of life. For us, it was a kind of culture shock and a welcomed hot pot of new ideas, curious conversations and warm reflections between us and the artists and community of the village. Initially, I know that myself and Rachel intended to use this experience as a space to create, focus on our work and seek some inspiration. However, within five minutes of arriving we knew that it would become something much more important. We were welcomed like family, with warm smiles, incredible creative conversations and a genuine openness to support us in squeezing every ounce of magic out of our experience there. The Duncairn brings artists, staff and audience members a sense of belonging, importance and respect that I truly believed was unrivalled on this island and suddenly there was a community at Levis’ Corner House that echoed that same Duncairn sentiment of community and togetherness.
We spent the next week fully embracing the village and meeting a number of sensational, warm and welcoming artists, all with different disciplines, approaches and ideas and a shared love for their landscape, their people and for creative freedom. I was continually moved by how much I had in common with painters, weavers, foragers, musicians and the community of Ballydehob that before, had seemed so far away from my lived experience.
When our own community from the Duncairn arrived to join us and deliver the “Belfast Takeover”, I felt such an enormous sense of pride. Watching the two sides of our island connect with one another, discuss our history and meet each other with respect, awe and a shared creative perspective was such a unique and deeply important thing to witness. It truly is difficult to describe something that is viscerally felt, however, we can safely say that this experience not only enriched the cultural and creative landscape of both places, but left us with newfound friendships and a deeper understanding of one another.
In a world where artists are consistently pitted against one another, competing for funding and battling for audiences and exposure, spaces like this residency are transformative. I felt like for the first time in so long, I was given space to connect with creativity without the constraints of expectation or competition. I was able to walk alongside my fellow artists and talk openly about what it means to feel vocational about our work. I had the time and space to deep dive into a creative community and ask questions, listen and learn without limits.
I know that at times, it can sound insincere when artists claim that these kinds of experiences are truly transformative and powerful. However, I am so grateful to share that I left Ballydehob with friends for life and a new perspective that will continuously shape my work now and long into the future. I gained a newfound respect for the creative communities that strengthen us as makers and gained even more pride for our shared island, the work we do and the immeasurable impact the Duncairn has had on my career and craft.
Individual artists, musicians and makers are important, should be nurtured and need to receive ongoing support. However, what this residency taught me was that shared spaces, values-driven organisations and creative communities are the beating heart of an enriched nation. Standing alongside one another, collaborating and celebrating our differences is the spark needed for a creative revolution that has the power to transform our country’s narrative. I only hope that more artists are given the gift of this experience and I cannot wait to see where it takes me and my Cork-neighbours in the future.
The ties that bind us.
By Aoibh Johnson.
—
It’s a tale of love that I’ll tell you.
One of great romance.
Of an unlikely pairing of places,
Unearthed by sparkling chance.
You see there once was an urban jungle,
A city, with a fierce heartbeat.
One full of passion and grit and hope,
A place that history didn’t defeat.
Belfast was the places name,
Béal Feirste, some might say.
A place where people from every nook of the earth,
Have placed a pillow for their head to lay.
And this place felt fulfilled and perfect,
It longed for nothing, it was whole.
With music, poetry and a sea of hearts,
It had an electric pulse, a deep soul.
But in recent years there was a change.
A yearning to connect with something new.
A desire to hold the hands of others,
To reach further than the city skyline view.
So the city started listening,
For the call from across the land,
And a sweet sound echoed across the hills and valleys,
And they reached out their urban hand,
And they stretched across the country,
7 hours or so until they found the source.
A colourful, glistening community of art,
It was, Ballydehob of course.
And the two places looked at one another.
So different on the surface.
Gazing up and down at the visuals,
Made the two of them feel a bit nervous.
You see Belfast was bold and brash.
It had 100s of thousands of people.
It had an abundance of front doors, chimneys and windows,
Footpaths, peace gates, steeples.
And Ballydehob, well it was quite different.
270 or so, they do say.
They’ve got hedgerows for miles, crashing oceans and tides,
And time feels slower in a day.
But the two places stared at one another.
Figuring out how to be.
And just as they thought about turning and running,
The two places began to see.
That the bones of their being were the same.
Their heartbeats were in sync.
Their hands fit perfectly together,
Both their sunsets were often pink.
And so they thought they might give it a go.
Explore this unlikely pairing.
The magic of Antrim with the beauty of Cork,
Feels exciting, new, like we’re daring,
To show this island that it’s possible,
To see your reflection in others.
To understand that regardless of history,
We deeply need one another.
And so this romance that has been forged,
Continues to find its fire.
The light and warmth is glowing,
And we’re only starting with this pyre.
We’re unearthing our deeply rooted connections,
That we lost along the way.
We’re crafting strong, new ties,
To bind us for every future day.
So here’s to this landscape romance,
A better love story never was told,
To Ballydehob and Béal Feirste,
May the fire never run cold,
May we always share in our passion,
For championing creatives minds,
How lucky are we, to have been here first,
To see the ties bind.
