Cork trail helping to tell stories of women

Walkers and runners at a park on Cork’s northside have been able to enjoy more than just the scenery when they visit.

The Glen River Park has also become the location of FuaimMná, a poetry sound trail.

The installation is one of a number of projects that have brought the park to life in recent years.

Julie Forrester began the Gleann a’ Phúca (Glen of the Spooks) project in The Glen River Park in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That project stemmed from Julie’s pandemic ‘Glen diaries’ and evolved into a research project involving a team of artists whose work sought to explore and respond to the park in terms of place, biodiversity, cultural and historical heritage.

It was also aimed at celebrating, protecting and improving the water quality of the Glen River.

Julie, who lives in the Glen, said the project came about during the pandemic when there was a deepening of the relationship with the natural world in close proximity to home.

“The park has played an important role in the lives of many people who have grown up in the area, and has also remained a mystery to many who live locally and had never set foot in the place before the pandemic,” she said.

As part of Julie’s project, six other artists were commissioned to add to the Gleann a’ Phúca project.

Ann Dalton’s ‘FuaimMná’ poetry trail was one of the projects chosen.

People walking in the Glen River Park can scan QR codes at various points along their route and listen to poetry.

Ann explained where she draws writing inspiration from.

She said: “Often, the projects that I create or am drawn to tend to be linked to the voices of women and children and how we can highlight their voices a bit more, particularly when we look back at our history and how these voices were often overlooked or subdued.”

Inspiration

The idea for FuaimMná came to Ann following a walk around the park with Maeve Fleischmann, daughter of the late Professor Aloys Fleischmann and the late Anne Madden.

“I realised after that walk that I knew quite a bit about the late Professor Fleischmann but knew little or nothing about his wife and Maeve’s mother, Anne Madden.

“It inspired me to find out more about the stories of some local women and to raise their voices.

“What better way than to hear them in the form of a poetry trail?

“Poetry is my first love in terms of my writing, and having worked a lot in the medium of audio, an audio trail was the perfect way for me to raise the voices of these women.

“The idea that theirs and so many other women’s stories might be written in the water and flowing by us each day, when all we have to do is listen to the sounds of the river, that for me was a big inspiration for the creation of the audio trail.”

One of Ann’s poems was inspired by Anne Madden.

An excerpt from the poem reads as follows, “....how will I tell apart the footsteps of the ghosts from theirs?

“Or hear the music when no one else can.”

This is not the first time that Ann’s poetry has been made accessible to the public.

When she lived in London, her poetry was published on the city’s buses.

“The idea that someone can just happen upon a poem in their day-to-day lives, and have that moment of reflection, a very personal moment, is something that should be accessible to everyone. That accessibility to all is so important, be it in written form or in audio form,” Ann said.

Response

The Gleann a’ Phúca project was very well received by the public, as was Ann’s FuaimMná poetry trail.

“Many people have come forward to say how they might never have known anything about these women, were it not for this poetry trail. Different age groups and different people have been drawn to it for different reasons. Some people comment on the level of research, some on the importance of getting these women’s stories out there, but the most regular feedback is on the power of the voice and hearing the poem being read by the poet themselves. For a lot of people, this seems to develop stronger connections with the material and ultimately with the women’s stories.”

Ann acknowledged her gratitude towards those people who shared stories with her.

“I would like to thank the families of the women on the FuaimMná trail, whom I was lucky enough to come into contact with during my research for the project, and who contributed greatly, sharing their memories of their loved ones in such an open and generous way,” she said.

The Gleann a’ Phúca project was supported by Cork City Council, The Arts Council, Creative Ireland / Creative Climate Action ‘Spark’ Award, The Local Authority Water Programme, Streamscapes, and the Glen Sports and Resource Centre.

Julie spoke about the Gleann a’ Phúca project and the impact it continues to have on the local community who walk in the park.

“I have seen people squatting down to capture the QR codes on their phones and linger on the bridges to hear the women’s stories. I believe it is vital to create art that connects us with the past, even as it hovers over the present,” said Julie.

Many people have come forward to say they might never have known anything about these women, were it not for the poetry trail.