Approaching land…
…arriving at a shared understanding:
to begin again,
to find a firm footing
From being tossed in the seas,
of loss,
of longing
of lessons learned,
to arriving on land.
Ancestors Affirmed.
Acknowledging the unknown,
umhal, ullamh, folamh …
ag teacht i dTír;
ag teacht chun chladaigh,
The safe harbour that we create together
ar tairseach na fírinne
coming home
Ag Teacht i dTír
Idir muir is tír,
idir cumhacht na farraige agus buaine na talún.
Tugann saol na mara léargás dúinn gur muintir oileáin muid.
Bhí saol na mara fíor thábhachtach do mhuintir na tíre seo –
idir cumarsáid, iompar agus cúrsaí iascaireachta.
Tá tábhacht stairiúil ag baint le sin nár féidir linn a shárú.
An féidir linn misneach, tuiscint agus spiorad na farraige a mhúscailt arís ionainn mar chultúr?
An féidir linn féachaint siar le meas agus tuiscint ar saol na mara – is an gcultúr a mbaineann léi?
Ó thaobh teanga na Gaeilge, tá tábhacht ag baint le ‘teacht i dtír’. Tá cumha agus brón ag a lán/ ana chuid daoine nach bhfuil an teanga beo ina shaol acu. Is féidir linn a shamhlú go bhfuil na mothucháin sin ar nós bheith ar bád amuigh ar an fharraige agus gan aon chladaigh croí le teacht isteach “i dtír’ go sábháilte.
Tá na mothuchán seo ar nós saol na farraige lastuigh ionainn.
Sin ríocht na n-aislingí agus fís na dtodchaí.
Seo machnamh ar saol na mara agus saol na Gaeilge – an tairseach atá ann idir muir is tír; ag teacht abhaile.
******
Ag Teacht i dTír
Between the land & sea;
Between the restless power of the waves and the fixity of land.
Acknowledging the life of the sea, we gain insight of what it is to live on an island. The coast offers safe harbours where one can come onto land, “ag Teacht i dTír”.
In a world out of balance, we can be nourished by the courage, spirit and resilience of our ancestors.
The life of the ocean was historically very important to this island. From transport & fishing to communication – the experiences of traversing the unknown depths of this water- realm has had a profound impact on our culture.
Can we look now through timeless eyes at the life of the sea and reclaim the wisdom, insights and resilience of our sea-faring ancestors?
From the perspective of the Irish language, the term Teacht i dTír can evoke the emotional longing of those who wish to speak their native tongue and yet lack a feeling of a safe harbour. Encountering emotions of longing, of sadness and of being ‘at sea’ are comparable to coasting an unquiet ocean within us. Yet that ocean is also a symbol of our inner realm of dreams, out of which the future can arise.
This exhibition is a meditation on the life of the sea and the Irish language, on the threshold between being ‘at sea’ and being on land – and the process of coming home…
Físín ghairid faoin taispeántais seo
Here’s a short film with images from the exhibition.
ANAM: 