Having moved home to west Limerick during the pandemic, a rural setting and somewhere I’ve not lived for 16 years, I began to critically engage with the notion of rurality, and my relationship with rurality, through the lens of Vito Teti’s ‘restanza’, the return to and/or choice to remain in the area. During this time my father, Eamon, began a self-initiated project to restore a ‘The Shanty’, a structure that has existed on our farm for over 200 years. The presence of 'The Shanty' spans our collective memory for centuries yet remains shrouded in mystery. The restoration was a caring, hand-crafted, process, staying true to the nature of the building and its context. Something he always dreamed of doing but never had the time until Covid essentially stopped time. The Shanty became part of our everyday, memories and stories flooding back, a strangely magical space. But upon leaving the place years ago the true emotive nature of The Shanty slipped into my subconscious. With memories and sentiment rising to the surface and the traumatic experience of witnessing my father falling from a height during the restoration, I wrote ‘We Know You As The Shanty’. An expression of our entanglement with its past, present, and future, and a celebration of resilience and rebirth.
We Know You As The Shanty (2021)
Written & Recited - Heather Griffin | Instrumental Accompaniment - Eamon Griffin on mandola playing Ar Éireann Ni Neosfainn Cé Hí
Video Timelapse - Heather Griffin | Image 2 - Fiona Griffin
Written & Recited - Heather Griffin | Instrumental Accompaniment - Eamon Griffin on mandola playing Ar Éireann Ni Neosfainn Cé Hí
Video Timelapse - Heather Griffin | Image 2 - Fiona Griffin