New Cavan Storytelling Project Needs You
Do you know a natural born storyteller? Perhaps it’s your grandmother or grandfather, or an older neighbour. Or perhaps you’re over 65 and want to release your own inner storyteller.
In conjunction with Cavan Arts Office, I am helping to launch a new storytelling project called Lost Landmarks aimed at the over 65s, especially those who are currently experiencing isolation because of the Covid lockdown and social restrictions.
We are looking for older people who have a rich knowledge of the landscape they grew up in, be it of Cavan or further afield, its features and buildings, as well as stories about local customs, superstitions, family events, working life and local characters. Participants need not worry if they feel their written English is a little rusty. The ability to tell a story is paramount, and as a writer and creative-writing tutor, I’ll be on hand to help shape and bring to life these stories in the written form.
The project will use a mixture of Zoom online workshops, emails, printed booklets of writing exercises and tips, and voice recordings to connect with as many older people as possible, allowing them to share and exchange their stories and reminiscences.
The simplest and most resonant stories we have are about the landscape we grew up in, the features and landmarks, the buildings and people who populated it, as well as its boundaries and the journeys we took through that landscape.
These landscapes carry personal symbolic meanings and help us share memories, evoke associations and stories, and make links with others. They create connections across time, place and people. Sharing memories and stories triggered by a familiar landscape helps give us a sense of psychological well-being and adds meaning to our lives.
The aim of the Lost Landmarks project is to preserve and bring back to life these landscapes and its people in the form of stories and visual artworks. I also hope that the storytelling and artworks will spark memories and encourage older people, especially those who haven’t written before, to share their stories with their families, neighbours and carers.
We turn to storytelling for inspiration and enlightenment, and, in our stories, we look for explanations and hope for happy endings. Through stories, we connect with others and gain a sense of collective identity and relief. Immersing ourselves in the tradition of storytelling might be a good way for all of us, young and old, to get through these difficult days.
Lost Landmarks is a collaborative project building on work by the Older People’s Council, older visual artists in the county (Rianta), the Social Inclusion Unit, the Cavan County Council Arts Office and Creative Ireland.
If you’re interested in participating in the project, or know someone who would like to, contact me at anthonyjquinnwriter@gmail.com or Narissa Cosgrove in the Cavan Arts Office at ncosgrove@cavancoco.ie. Participants can work individually via email, telephone and voice recordings or at a group level through Zoom workshops.
Anthony J Quinn’s nine novels have received critical acclaim from The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Financial Times, The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Express, Der Spiegel, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sunday Herald, The Irish Times and the Irish Independent. He teaches creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast. His latest novel, Turncoat, is a metaphysical detective novel set on Station island, Lough Derg.