Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park in Moate have recently launched the first part of the Dún na Sí Memory Project.
The first part of the project consists of three videos featuring intergenerational interviews between grandparents and grandchildren, produced by Studio93. Liam Handy and his grandson Tom, and Nancy and Pat Claffey and their granddaughter Hannah Higgins took part in these interviews, in which they spoke about experiences from their childhood and growing up in rural Ireland, and the impact that Covid-19 has had on their lives.
Dún na Sí Heritage Park was initially created to preserve and share the stories and traditions of the Irish rural past, a guiding force which it carries out to this day through replica traditional buildings, educational displays, guided tours, music, dance, and storytelling.
Over the years that the Park has been in place, a visit to the Heritage Park has served as a memory prompt for thousands of visitors, who are often eager to share their own personal experiences of living in a rural Irish farming landscape.
The aim of the Dún na Sí Memory project is to create a contemporary memory collection to build a memory and local oral history archive for many generations to come within the region.
The interviews are currently being shared online via the Dún na Sí Facebook and Instagram pages and on the Dún na Sí website.
To view the videos check out Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DunNaSiPark/, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dunnasi/ or on the Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park website www.dunnasi.ie The Dún na Sí Memory Project is kindly supported by Westmeath County Council and the Creative Ireland Initiative.
Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park awarded Green Flag
Meanwhile, Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park in Moate was recently awarded a Green Flag.
International accreditation for public park excellence in Ireland has increased again this year, to reach over 100 accredited public green spaces. Ireland was awarded a total of 103 Green Flag sites, comprised of 84 formal public Green Flag Park sites, along with 19 volunteer run Green Community Sites.
Dún na Sí are very proud to receive the award, and acknowledge the hard work and dedication put in by management, staff, volunteers, and the local community to accomplish this achievement.
This year over 2,300 public sites in 16 countries around the World have achieved Green Flag or Green Flag Community Award status.
Once again, more Green Flag awards have been secured by Irish Parks and Gardens than by any country, other than the UK where the scheme originated in 1996.
The Green Flag community award extends the Scheme to include community initiatives such as Community Gardens, Community Parks, and Tidy Towns Projects.
In Ireland the Green Flag community award scheme is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
