Down the bog and back again: Leitrim artist collects local stories

Not everyone has the fondest memories of time spent down the bog — but whether good or bad, Leitrim-based artist Christine Mackey wants to hear them.

Originally from Kilkenny, Christine is a mixed-media artist working out of the Leitrim Sculpture Centre in Manorhamilton. She’s inviting members of the public to share their stories, objects, materials, and experiences from the bog for an archival collection she’s currently organising at the centre.

Her upcoming project focuses on boglands and aims to “open up the importance and the beauty of those unique spaces,” she says.

“As a visual artist, I work a lot with thinking about the landscape and thinking about plants and land. I live in a rural community, and just the diversity of the landscape and what that holds — the different kinds of plants, and the plants in the bogs — are just very fascinating to read about and learn about.”

Christine is particularly interested in how individuals connect with these remarkable landscapes in thoughtful and personal ways — whether through work, domestic use, or simple pleasures like picking fraughans (bilberries) or walking with family and friends.

“It holds so much history — geographical history, how the bogs were formed, how they impacted people’s lives, and how important they are today in relation to climate change,” she explains.

Christine previously completed a similar project on the Garavogue River in Sligo, which was ultimately turned into a published work.

While she typically works in sculpture, drawing, or video, she says she’s keeping an open mind about what form this project will take.

“I’ll wait and see what’s out there first — meet people, go for walks, have a look, and let the project determine itself,” she says.

The final outcome will likely be a mix of visuals and text. Christine hopes to include photographs from the bog, audio recordings of people speaking, collected bog materials, and possibly join locals on walks through the bog to record their interactions with the landscape.

If you’re interested in taking part, you can contact Christine directly at christinemackey1@gmail.com.

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