A good night was had by all last night, at All Saints National School in Doohamlet, Castleblayney. It was the Parents Association Presentation Evening for sixth class who are leaving for secondary school today. Swallow Studios was invited to the evening for the unveiling of ‘the wallhanging’. The handcrafted wallhanging , entitled “The Sheep Walk” was commissioned by the Parents Association to hang in the newly built school extension.
Batik artist Louise Loughman, from Doohamlet and I were delighted to be awarded the commission to create this textile artwork for the school. I handwove the background and it was inspired by the rainbow, representing the innocence of youth and the sense of wonder as the children learn every day for stepping out into life. Louise created a series of batik images based on the heritage of the local area. The site of the new school is on a field called ‘the sheep walk’ hence the name chosen for the artwork, and the sheep are represented in one image. Horse racing was also held in that field and this is also represented, as it the local black smith. The local creamery and the railway were important to the rural ecomomy and are represented. Flax growing and linen spinning was a major part of the life of the area and the mill wheel is a reminder of this and all the the various milling industries powered by water in the days before electricity. The swans are here because they are a regular sight on lake, visible from the school and they represent how the community looks after the natural beauty of the village. And of course the image of All Saints Church represents the heart and spirit of the community of Doohamlet.
The children visited Swallow Studios as part of the wall hanging project. They participated in workshops in weaving, batik and painting so that they would have an understanding of the processes involved in creating the artwork. Afterwards, their school projects included writing about their experience here, and these are proudly displayed in the school alongside their art and craftwork from the day here. They will remember and share the story of the wallhanging with their families and hopefully their own children in time. I gave each of the children a little LizzyC Sheep key-ring to commemorate the occasion of the ‘unveiling’ and their special involvement in the story of the artwork.
Tags: Castleblayney, County Monaghan, craft workshop, Doohamlet, handweaving, irish textile artists, schools project
