In East Cork, older women are invited to join a wild and wonderful Lughnasa bash
Old enough to have some wisdom to share?
An East Cork arts group has put a call out for older women to join them for a unique event to mark the Celtic festival of Lughnasa.
Greywood Arts, the creative hub and arts residency based in Killeagh, is inviting older women to participate in a special series of writing, movement and voice workshops, culminating in the making of floral and leaf crowns for Lughnasa celebrations.
In ancient Irish mythology, Lughnasa marked the beginning of the harvest season, generally celebrated at the beginning of August.
Lughnasa, meaning ‘Lugh’s feast’, was said to have been founded by the Celtic god Lugh, to mark the death of the earth goddess Tailtiu, his foster mother, with funeral games and procession. Tailtiu’s story is one of self-sacrifice and a profound love of the land, and the project honours the wisdom and strength that comes with age.
View this post on Instagram
“The Celtic festival of Lughnasa is a joyous celebration of death through games, ritual and dancing,” said Jessica Bonenfant, Director at Greywood Arts.
“Over the course of these workshops, women of today will explore how we might fête a funeral for a goddess, and reflect on the cycles of life and nature,”
Facilitated by theatre maker and storyteller, Noelle Ní Ríagáin, the first three workshops will explore the themes of Lughnasa through movement, writing and vocal exercises. The final workshop will be led by florist Úna Mullin, and will see participants creating crowns from flowers and leaves for the Lughnasa festival, which takes place in the walled garden at Greywood Arts in Killeagh on August 17th at 2pm.
The Lughnasa workshops, which are supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Cork County Council, take place on August 9th and 16th from 10am to Noon and costs €20 for all four sessions. To book email create@greywoodarts.org.
