Inis Meáin will celebrate the blackberry harvest this Saturday with Féile na bPuiteachaí, a festival named for the islanders’ unique Irish word, puiteachaí, which is used on Inis Meáin instead of the more commonly heard word for blackberries, sméara dubha.
The festival will see a wide range of events returning to the Community Hall, Halla Naomh Eoin, including a poetry competition, a baking competition, a newly collected folklore exhibition, a guided nature tour, and workshops in crochet, ink-making, jam-making and blackberry gin-making.
The festival celebrated its inaugural year in 2022, spearheaded by broadcaster and folklorist Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh and local woman Gráinne Ní Chonaighle.
“The puiteachaí are bursting off the branches and ready to go for this year's festival and so are we,” said Ní Thiarnaigh, who has been living on the island for the past two years.
“We were so proud of last year's festival and how all the community came together to celebrate the puiteachaí, and all the wild and wonderful things that we can do with them. We are particularly excited to launch our new additions to this year's festival, especially our folklore collection project in partnership with the local primary school, Scoil Náisiúnta Inis Meáin.”
The folklore exhibition, based on the theme ‘Bíonn Blas ar an mBeagán - Wild Autumn Fruits on Inis Meáin’ will be launched at the official festival opening at noon on Saturday. The exhibition shows newly collected folklore about the island’s wild fruits like blackberries, haws and sloes, and remembers life on the island long ago.
“We are thrilled that the local schoolchildren are involved in the project," said Orlaith Breathnach, former teacher at Scoil Náisiúnta Inis Meáin who is central in the folklore project. "We call them our stairithe beaga, our little historians, and it's true. They have been collecting stories from their parents and grandparents about their memories from long ago. Those stories will now be preserved forever, for later generations to learn from."
The island’s wild fruits will be a source of inspiration for poets young and old at this year’s poetry competition, which welcomes poems and song lyrics inspired by the wild fruits of the island. The poems will be displayed in the hall on the day of the festival and competitors will have an opportunity to perform their newly composed work at the Irish singing session at Teach Ósta Inis Meáin on Saturday evening.
Stiff competition is expected at the Féile na bPuiteachaí Baking Competition again this year. Bakers are invited to create a dish of their choice at home using wild blackberries as a key ingredient. The entries will then be presented at Halla Naomh Eoin Community Hall ag 3.30pm where they will be judged by head baker at the prestigious Inis Meáin Island Stays, Meadhbh Ní Dhomhnaill. Vouchers of €100, €50 and €30 will be awarded to first, second and third place respectively .
“Féile na bPuiteachaí is a very special festival for us to have on Inis Meáin," said Ní Thiarnaigh. "We are celebrating the local language, with all our events run predominantly through Irish, and we are also celebrating the local natural landscape, local heritage and community. It’s a joy to see people coming together, and seeing all the creative ways we can have fun with one simple fruit.
“We are especially grateful to our sponsors, Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Comhlacht Forbartha Inis Meáin, Cniotáil Inis Meáin, Pleanáil Teanga Inis Meáin, Coiste Spóirt Inis Meáin, Siopa Ruaidhrí Beag, Cló Iar Chonnachta, and of course the local community on Inis Meáin, who have given us so much support and enabled us to bring this festival to fruition.”
The full festival schedule and more information about registering for events is available online at inismeainbeo.ie/feile-na-bpuiteachai-2023
