These will include three Shared Island projects. All Ignite projects require extensive public engagement on a national level and will be delivered over time between now and 2025.
These include:
ACT II Waterford: Calmast will work with Waterford City and County Council and the South East Technological University STEM engagement Hub, to continue the work of ACT I Waterford which engaged with 5 Waterford communities to promote a better understanding of climate change and to enable them to make sustainable changes to their lifestyles. These include developing sustainable transport options, biodiversity projects, food waste projects and creative engagements in Comeragh communities
Bog Bothies: The Irish Architecture Foundation and architects Evelyn Darcy and David Jameson, Common Knowledge and Technical University of the Shannon will create a new architectural design vision for the Irish peatlands in Longford, Westmeath, Kildare, Galway, Offaly and Laois. The development and design of these bog shelters, will connect the rich and valued past of boglands with a new sustainable future.
Brilliant Ballybunion will engage the local community to creatively explore the future for Ballybunion in terms of protecting biodiversity and local food systems. The project will work with diverse community collaborators to grow food, protect habitats and create a vision for the future in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss. This project will have multiple elements in terms of creating long term transformative change in 4 stages: Information; Exploration; Inspiration and Expression. The project is coordinated by Grainne Toomey from Ballybunion Community Forum in partnership with The Barna Way, Lisa Fingleton (Artist), Rena Blake (Photographer/Grower), Dr Joanne O Brien (Ecologist) and Dr Clare Watson (Evaluator).
The UCD Centre for Irish Towns, Ballina Greenest Town, and artist Ríonach Ní Néill’s initiative Cascade seeks to understand how the laneways of our historic town centres can adapt to cope with climate change. It will explore how laneways can become a connected trail of climate-resilient, cohesive spaces that celebrate water. This builds on the previous Ripple project in Greenhills, Ballina which recently won a new European Bauhaus award.
Climate Design Lab: Where Creativity In Practice Meets Climate Action Kildare County Council along with the Design Innovation Department in Maynooth University and Riverbank Arts Centre will pilot a Climate Design Lab that aims to use design-thinking and behavioural economics to co-create solutions for Maynooth, the decarbonisation centre for the county.
Creative Coastal Resilience seeks to embed creativity into the work of the Maharees Conservation Committee to ensure the region is well-adapted for the challenges created by climate change. The project will be supported by the Dingle Creativity Hub and Munster Technological University.
Artists Grace Wells and Colm Mac Con Iomaire, producer David Teevan, writer Manchán Magan, visual artist Dorothy Cross, Dr Catherine Farrell and Tim O’Donoghue will all contribute to Dinnseanchas – Envisioning the Uplands the cultural element of Hometree’s ‘Wild Atlantic Rainforest Project’. Together they will travelto the uplands to facilitate community engagement in Clare, Cork, Donegal, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo, Waterford and Wicklow.
Dublin City Council’s first Artist in Residence will be appointed to aid a cross-departmental approach to embedding biodiversity values within the council.
House on the Beach This intriguing project will illustrate the urgency of the climate challenge by designing and embedding a sculpture of a small house into two coastal locations north and south of the border. Each day the incoming tide will submerge the house only for it to be revealed again as the sea retreats. Trinity College will work with artist Nina McGowan and Gawain Morrison to deliver this ambitious project.
Immersion: Experience Climate Action Gabriel Mullarkey This initiative brings together immersive story tellers from across the island to explore ways of engaging with the public on climate action. By collaborating with climate experts and community action groups, the participants will gain a deep understanding of how climate action is perceived by the public and devise new ways to capture the collective imagination. This will be led by Gabriel Mullarkey with support from Ardán in Galway and Richard McLernon and Belfast City Council.
Wilderland aims to raise awareness and foster support for biodiversity and the restoration and rewilding of the Wild Nephin National Park through a 2-year programme of embedded research, public engagement and creative community workshops which will culminate in site-responsive artworks. At the centre of Wilderland will be National Parks and Wildlife Service Western Division, working in partnership with Mayo County Council’s Arts Service and Environment, Climate Action & Agriculture Department, the North Mayo Heritage Centre, artists Elaine Harrington and the Materials Matter Collective, and TASC – Think-tank for Action on Social Change.
Building on the success of previous exchanges amongst farmers, artists, scientists, and the public, Field Exchange 2024- 2025 will see a series of creative farming interventions developed by farmer Ailbhe Gerrard from Brookfield Farm Co Tipperary with the Irish Agroforestry Forum Ireland, Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland and Creative Farm Ambassadors.
Global Action Plan Ireland, Innovate Communities Social Innovation Hub, Axis Arts Centre and The Rediscovery Centre Ballymun will collaborate to deliver Ballymun Adapts a community driven creative arts project that will focus on community readiness and activation for climate action.
The Air we Share aims to engage the community through citizen science and creative practices, to collect data relating to air quality across the three wards of Galway City with a specific focus on the decarbonizing zone of Westside in Galway city. This important work will be led by Galway City Council in partnership with the Galway Culture Company, Environmental Protection Agency, University of Galway, Westside Resource Centre and Westside Arts Festival and Galway Arts Centre Galway.
The Síolta Glasa initiative will see Limerick City and County Council, University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College, Ballyhoura Development, Mentors Javi Buron Garcia and Dr. Veronica Santorum bring together community groups to Limerick’s Citizen Innovation Lab to build capacity around decarbonisation in their localities.
GoodLife 2023 will include a series of public and industry workshops to harness the unique skills of the advertising industry to create alternative visions of the future. It will be led by Irish creative agency Thinkhouse in partnership with Purpose Disruptors working with media and creative agencies.
These Ignite projects are supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of the Taoiseach.
