- 31st Dec
- 00:00
- Mornington Beach
The Lighthouse Project was launched on Sunday 21 August at 2pm.
View The Lighthouse Project Brochure with QR Code here. Please bring headphones and a smart device to access the online audio piece when completing the walk.
The Lighthouse Project is a site-specific response to lighthouses around Ireland, curated by Dani Gill and produced in partnership with the Arts Council, festivals, venues and Arts Offices nationwide. From 2021 to 2022, Droichead Arts Centre, and Meath County Arts Office collaborated with the project to offer five artists the site of Mornington, County Meath. Mornington is home to three light houses (the North, West and East light) along with the additional architecture of: Lady’s Finger, the Maiden’s Tower and the ancient beacons where fires were originally lit before the presence of lighthouses.
Artists SJ McArdle, Jackie Hudson Lalor, Jessica Traynor, Laura Sheeran and Róisín Ward Morrow have created an audio experience mirroring the landscape and the tales surrounding it. There is free to access via the QR code provided below. The track includes original poetry from Jessica Traynor, Wandering Lighthouses and Driftwood Fire, set to music by Róisín Ward Morrow and new songs from SJ McArdle, To the Lighthouse and The Ship of Theseus. Jackie Hudson Lawlor created the limited edition print Mornington at Night which is also the cover of this brochure designed by Jackie. Laura Sheeran edited the audio experience and documented the site.
Creative Team
Dani Gill is a curator, producer and writer based in the west of Ireland. She served as Director of events such as Cúirt International Festival of Literature, the Ennis Book Club Festival as well as production and creative roles in theatre and film. She is the Audience Development Officer for the LIVE Network and founded The Lighthouse Project in 2020.
Jessica Traynor is a poet, essayist and librettist. Her debut collection, Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award and in 2016. Her second collection, The Quick, was a 2019 Irish Times poetry choice. Her third collection, Pit Lullabies, was published by Bloodaxe in March 2022 and is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. She has had essays and interviews published in The Dublin Review, Tolka, Banshee, Winter Papers, Sunday Miscellany 50, and We Are Dublin. She reviews poetry for RTÉ’s Arena, and for Poetry Ireland Review, and has held residencies including the Yeats Society, Sligo, and Carlow College.
Róisín Ward Morrow is a traditional fiddle player, folk singer and composer from Louth. She has performed extensively in venues that include Dublin Castle, Dublin City Hall, The National Concert Hall and The Grand Opera House, Belfast, as well as touring internationally in The Netherlands with “Call of the Celts” and as part of The Cross Border Orchestra performing in Rome, Shanghai, Carnegie Hall - New York, The Royal Albert Hall - London and The White House for President Obama. Her debut album, By the Light of the Moon, breathes new life into ancient melodies with her haunting compositions.
SJ McArdle is a songwriter, musician and curator. He is known for his PORT project (a live show and album song-cycle featuring Carol Keogh) and its accompanying album, Old Ghosts In The Water as well as his previous work in award-winning Irish folk band Kern. SJ is also one third of Long Woman’s Grave, featuring Nuala Kennedy and Trevor Hutchinson.
Jackie Hudson Lalor is a visual artist who works in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Her work is representational and detailed with a surreal sensibility. An autobiographical narrative runs through her work, exploring issues around spousal abuse, interpersonal relationships and female agency. In order to achieve the high level of realism in her finished paintings, she uses a broad range of techniques and media in the construction of primary references using photography, photoshop, model making, sculpture, dressmaking, embroidery, knitting and crochet.
Laura Sheeran is a Dublin based artist who works in video, music and theatre. She has worked with festivals nationally and also with the National Gallery of Ireland, Irish National Opera and Crash Ensemble among others. She directs theatre and film and is currently a Resident Director at the Abbey Theatre.
