Hands That Talk take part in Dialogue Session

The event was organised by the Limavady Community Cohesion Project which is funded the under the European Union’s PEACE III Programme and is managed on behalf of the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.

The day began with a talk given by Deaglan O’Doibhlin, Irish language Officer for Limavady Borough Council, providing local historical and cultural information to the group.

He explained the origins of the Clachan, describing the age old traditions of the Ceili house, including storytelling, songs, dance and music, and card games and craic. He also explained the decline of the Ceili house due to the advent of television and the internet and the building of arts centres where traditional culture is now performed.

Proprietors of Keady Clachan, Mickey Mullan and Joan McGandy hosted the group at their premises on the Ringsend Road in Limavady. They took the group for a countryside walk around Mullan’s farm to look at how organic food is being produced and the group had the chance to see newborn Galloway calves as well as the first lambs of the bitter spring.

The panoramic views from snow-capped Keady Mountain provided further inspiration for the afternoon session in which local glass artist Helen Hancock guided the group through a glass-painting workshop under the theme of Peacefulness. Among the pieces produced included landscapes, Keady Clachan itself, animals, phrases and religious symbols. Two local sign language interpreters were on hand throughout the day to provide interpretation to the group and the feedback at the end was extremely positive.

Joan McGandy commented: “At first it seemed unusual to have a dialogue session with people who are deaf or hard of hearing but we all felt part of the conversation. Both the participants and myself and Mickey got a lot out of it.

“The group were very interactive during the farm walk and their line of questioning was very relevant, it was clear some had a farming background and they were able to reminisce about this. The entire group made very enjoyable company and we’d love to see them come back again.”

Glass artist Helen Hancock said she was delighted with how the session went. She said: “People really expressed themselves and personalities shone through. The banter was great.”

Limavady Community Cohesion Officer Hollie Brown added: “I am pleased Hands That Talk took this opportunity to be involved in a peace and cohesion project to learn more about the tradition of the Ceili house and I am delighted that the dialogue went so well. It was a pleasure to spend the day with such a lovely group and Mickey and Joan provided the perfect welcome for all of us.”

For more information about North East PEACE III projects visit www.northeastpeace.com