Mayor of Waterford City and County Council, Councillor Jason Murphy, welcomed a group of staff of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and community members involved in arts, crafts and heritage in Ballymena and surrounding areas on November 5th and 6th for an exchange study trip to Waterford. Representatives of Portlaw Heritage Society along with staff of the local authority had visited Ballymena and the surrounding area in September as part of Creative Communities on a Shared Island, a project funded by The Creative Ireland Programme.
Heritage and Arts and Culture staff of MEABC and community members from crafts and heritage sectors in Mid and East Antrim visited Waterford in November 2024. The return visit concentrated on the future of textiles in the craft space including a visit to the Smart Material and e-Textile Innovation Laboratory at Walton Institute, regenerative farming techniques by GrowHQ at Curraghmore Estates Walled Garden, the heritage of Portlaw and a short tour of the collections in Waterford Museum of Treasures including the Great Charter of Waterford and the Medieval Vestments on show.
The group visited Curraghmore Estate House and Gardens in Portlaw where they were met by Head Grower, Richard Mee of GIY who spoke to them about their plans for plans for regenerative farming at the walled gardens. This was followed by a tour of Curraghmore House, the home of the 9th Marquis of Waterford. Portlaw Heritage Centre hosted the group at their premises in the village where history, heritage, genealogy and storytelling were topics of discussion.
On November 6th the Ballymena group visited South East Technological Institute to see the future focused work happening in the Smart Material and e-Textile Innovation Laboratory at Walton Institute. Following a quick call to Kite Studio, the group then moved to Central Library where Nuala Browne Treacy gave a talk about the circular economy and the future of sustainable textiles. Diverse Waterford, an oral history gathering and preservation project was presented by Senior Executive Librarian Sinead O’Higgins and Archivist Joanne Rothwell, emphasising the importance of storytelling in communities.
The Mayor was delighted to welcome the group to Waterford at an afternoon reception in the Mayor’s Parlour in City Hall, saying “it is wonderful to see strong links developing between Mid and East Antrim and Waterford. We have many common interests in areas of industrial heritage, art including murals, literature and more, and it is heartening to see strong connections and friendships developing through cultural and creative pursuits.”
The final visit of the tour was to the Medieval Museum at Waterford Treasures. The Medieval Vestments and the Great Charter Roll were of great interest as were the range of museums on offer.
Jayne Clarke, Museum & Heritage Manager for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, who participated in the visit, said “My colleagues and I, along with community representatives from our local cultural sector, thoroughly enjoyed our reciprocal visit to Waterford, where we experienced not only the warmest of welcomes, but also a flavour of the extent of arts, craft and heritage activity taking place in Waterford. The synergy between our two areas is clear, and we believe that our collaborative ‘Building Shared Creative Communities’ project is only the beginning of our relationship and working together.”
“We were delighted to host colleagues and community members from Mid and East Antrim and showcase some highlights of Waterford culture, heritage and innovation. As the Creative Communities on a Shared Island project moves into its second year we are excited to collaborate on literature, art, health and wellbeing and other projects, building and developing on our existing linkages and new friendships between our communities” said Katherine Collins, Creative Ireland Coordinator, Waterford City and County Council.