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Ballinderry Bog: A Tapestry of Time Woven by the Rosemount Community
"Ballinderry Bog: A Tapestry of Time Woven by the Rosemount Community" is collaborative community project. It fosters a sustainable relationship with the bog, recognizing its ecological and cultural significance. Socially engaged environmental artist Sophie von Maltzan works with the community to explore how the bog’s changing role can bring positive transformation.
As Ireland transitions away from peat extraction, local bogs must be re-evaluated as vital habitats that help combat climate change. Through artistic engagement, this project will help the community understand and appreciate the bog’s value beyond its historical role.
Ballinderry Bog is renowned for the archaeological dig of the 1920s, where the Ballinderry Sword, a Viking-style weapon from a crannog settlement (9th–11th century), was discovered. Now exhibited in the National Museum and featured on an Irish stamp, it highlights the bog’s rich history. Today, it is also recognized as a unique ecological habitat and part of the Irish Midlands’ crucial carbon-sequestering landscape.
Von Maltzan began collaborating with the Rosemount community on socially engaged environmental projects in 2022, launching "The Land That Feeds Us" project series. In 2022, they collected forgotten recipies for beef cuts, such as the heart, and cooked them. In 2023 they planted a bird of prey a habitat. This year they focus on the local bog, reflecting its evolving role for the community in the climate crisis.
Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.