Mayo’s Irish Folklife Collection reimagined in new poetry trail

A new poetry trail in Turlough Park provides fresh perspectives on Irish Folklife Collection

The poetry trail is called ‘Silent Objects/Spoken Lives’ and was created for the annual ‘OnSight’ arts initiative. It is open to the public and admission is free of charge and was delivered in partnership by the National Museum of Ireland and Mayo County Council Arts Service. 

Poets, Sean Borodale, Martina Evans and Geraldine Mitchell, were specially commissioned for the project. The poets each selected a series of objects from the Irish Folklife Collection to work with - including a ‘ghost’ potato lamp; a red woollen cardigan; a sheep shears and a súgán rope. 

READ MORE: That epic folklore collection

The participating poets created new works which will now be displayed for visitors alongside the objects in the museum galleries, offering new perspectives about the meaning and stories they represent. 

This year’s OnSight is also supported by Poetry Ireland and the Arts Council of Ireland. 

Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Councillor John O’Hara, was in the National Museum at Turlough Park to perform the official launch on National Poetry Day. He said:

“This project has been a fruitful collaboration between Mayo County Council Arts Service and the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, bringing together the richness of our heritage and art to bring new perspectives to the Irish Folklife Collection, and produce a vibrant new body of poems. 

“Throughout the project, the poets have engaged deeply with the Irish Folklife Collection, and invited others to do so through a series of workshops here at the Museum and around the county. We are delighted to be here today to celebrate the outcome of this body of work.” 

Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland, thanked the poets and participants for their involvement in the project. She said: “The folklife objects on display here at Turlough Park tell us many rich stories about how our ancestors lived in Ireland over centuries. This poetry trail offers us a new way to discover and imagine those stories - and what they might mean in terms of our past and our present.  

“On behalf of the National Museum, I want to thank the poets for these beautiful, creative and thought provoking works which will enrich our visitors’ experience on so many levels as they engage with our National Collections this summer. I also want to thank our project partners, and the collaborative work of our curatorial division with Mayo County Council Arts Service. And thank you to those who engaged with the poets through events and school workshops, adding to this wonderful new poetry trail.” 

The poetry trail is now on display at the National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Visitors can pick-up an OnSight guide at Museum Reception to discover the poetry trail in person or visit www.museum.ie to read and listen to the poems online.