Snapshot of a Coastal Community

Between September and December 2022 artist Geraldine Timlin, marine heritage educator  William Mc Ellhinney and emerging filmmaker Ailis Cross Gorman, in association with Artlink, have been working on ‘Snapshot of a Coastal Community’, with young people from the Buncrana area.  The project’s aim was to link generations through their relationship to the coast 

The project participants looked at how the sea and shore once played a central role in the local economy and community of Inishowen and how this has shaped our culture and identity. William, who led a field trip to East Inishowen at the outset of the project, said “I was delighted with the active  engagement of the young people as we explored how Inishowen has been affected by the sea and shore through the ages, from the origins of humankind up to the present”. 

In the end the project focused around Desertegney, where young people attended creative workshops at Desertegney  Community Center. The young people, along with their elders, were invited to share stories about their relationship to the sea and coast. This was documented by Ailis Cross Gorman who has produced a short film. Meanwhile Geraldine Timlin worked with the young people to create sea-themed  haiku, hand-made prints and a currach like sculpture made from from hazel rods and seaweed.

The project will culminated in an exhibition in the Saldanha Gallery at Fort Dunree. This exhibition inspired visitors to share their own stories and reminiscences about life in this coastal community.