Conference Report: The Living Táin - a stakeholders conference

The Living Táin: Conference Report 24.04.2015

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Conference Report:

The Living Táin

- a stakeholders conference

Monday 3rd November, 2014 Stephenstown Pond,

Knockbridge, Co. Louth

compiled by Paul Gosling Dept. of Heritage & Tourism, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology

Márta 2015


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Figure 1: ‘Ionad Táin Bó Cuailnge’ designed by the McCollum Brothers of Raven Crafts. The sign was inaugurated at the beginning of the Conference. It marks the designation of Stephenstown Pond, Knockbridge, Co. Louth, as a centre facilitating events relating to Louth Land of Legends, the cultural and tourism brand of Louth County Council (Photo: Shay Larkin).

Figure 2: The attendees at The Living Táin Conference, at Stephenstown Pond, Knockbridge, Co. Louth on Monday, 3ú Samhain, 2014 (Photo: Shay Larkin).


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Introduction ‘On Monday after summer’s end they set forth *on the Táin+ ...’ (J. Dunn, Táin Bó Cualnge, 1914, 19). So begins the text of the Táin, the famed medieval story of a tumultuous cattle-raid led by Queen Medb of Connacht into Ulster in pursuit of Donn Cuailnge, and of Cúchulainn’s heroic defence of his homeland.

On the first Monday of Samhain (3rd November), AD 2014, a gathering of stakeholders with an interest in the Táin as a community and economic resource was held in the conference room at Stephenstown Pond, Knockbridge, Co. Louth (http://www.stephenstownpond.com). This report outlines the format and content of the day’s proceedings and presents a summary of its deliberations. These will hopefully contribute to the development of the Táin as a major cultural and tourism resource.

The Táin March and the Conference Background The idea of a ‘Táin March’ originated early in 2011 amongst a small core of community activists in north Louth, led by Kevin Woods of Carlingford and Tim Mullins of Dundalk (see Bibliography: Donnelly and Gosling 2013). Since then The Táin March Festival has been successfully organised and delivered on 23-26th June 2011, 8-10th June 2012, 7-9th June 2013 and 6-8th June 2014. Upon the completion of the 2014 March, the organising committee decided to canvas support for the continuation and development of the March. A decision was made to convene a one-day conference of stakeholders with an interest in the development and promotion of the Táin as a cultural asset, a community resource and a tourism product.

Ionad Táin Bó Cuailnge The first act of the conference was the inauguration of a handsome new sign on the gable wall of the conference facilities at Stephenstown Pond (Figs. 1 & 2). The ceremony was conducted by Declan Breathnach and Marian Scanlon, directors of the Stephenstown Pond Trust. It marks the designation of Stephenstown as a meeting place and fulcrum for events relating to Louth Land of Legends, the cultural and tourism initiative of Louth County Council. The aptness of Stephenstown as a location for the ionad (centre) lies not only in its location vis-a-vis the two great royal sites of Crúachain (Tulsk) and Emain Macha (Armagh) but also its proximity to Áth da Fherta, one of the fords on the River Fane which feature in Táin Bó Cuailnge. Executed in beaten bronze, the ‘Ionad Táin Bó Cuailnge’ sign was designed and installed by the McCollum Brothers of Raven Crafts.

Conference Format The conference was facilitated by Paul Gosling of the Dept. of Heritage & Tourism at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. It was arranged in four sessions. For each session, the conference participants were divided into groups and allocated topics to debate. The

http://www.stephenstownpond.com/


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attendance at each session varied slightly but averaged about 25 (see Appendix 2) with four to six groups contributing. Each group was required to appoint a chair to manage responses, and a reporter to record conclusions. Contributions from individuals were limited to three minutes per person. Participants wishing to make further contributions waited until all the other group members had an opportunity to express their opinions. The sessions were planned and themed as follows:

11.10 – 11.50noon: SESSION 1: The Táin as a Cultural Inheritance 11.50 – 12.30pm: SESSION 2: The Táin & Interpretation 1.20 – 2.00pm: SESSION 3: Envisioning the Táin 2.00 – 2.40pm: SESSION 4: Positioning the Táin 3.00 – 3.30pm: Conclusions.

Session Content SESSION 1: The Táin as a Cultural Inheritance The theme of this session was the existing level of knowledge about the Táin in literature (original texts and translations), in community and in family.

RESPONSES (unsorted): - Existence of a growing number of public sculptures themed on the Táin:

o Martin’s Cross, Stephenstown, Co. Louth (Cúchulainn); Knockbridge village, Co. Louth (bull); M1 Motorway at Dundalk (bull); The Bush, Cooley (bull); Coosan, Athlone (two bulls); Ballymany, Newbridge, Co. Kildare (Cúchulainn and hounds); Connaught House, Burlington Rd., Dublin (Medb).

- Lack of knowledge amongst general public regarding the Táin: o many of the individual stories which make up the Táin are not widely known,

e.g. finding of the Táin; battle of the bulls. o there are particular deficits regarding the main characters, e.g. Medb, Ailill,

Fergus. - The literature itself is perceived as ‘difficult’:

o existence of different versions, fragmentary nature of the texts, etc. o there is no one place – repository, website – to access the literature. o one aim should be to create such a place.

- Concern expressed about the tendency to over-simply the Táin: o “the Leprechaun-isation of the story”.

- The importance of education: o absence of the story from second level curricula in particular. o distribution of free copies of the story (Ladybird Books) to primary level

school-children in Co. Louth as part of The Táin March events was noted. o emphasise that the story of the Táin is uniquely local.

- Need to develop new formats to deliver the story to different age groups: o need to encourage re-tellings in family settings.


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o need to make the story more ‘contemporary’. - Importance of promoting of the Táin in the existing cultural landscape:

o reference was made to the work of Arthur Gribben (see Bibliography). o e.g. Cúchulainn Bakery, Cúchulainn Credit Union, Eimear Hair Salon.

- Very little coordination between the various sectoral interests: o academic, tourist, community, commercial.

SESSION 2: The Táin & Interpretation The theme of this session was to articulate what is already in existence – infrastructural supports, organisations and facilities – to nurture and support the Táin.

RESPONSES (unsorted): - CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts) in University College Cork (see Bibliography)

already provides academic transcriptions and translations of most of the major texts of the Táin.

- Ardee Castle could be a venue for interpreting the Táin in Louth: o what is needed is vision and co-ordination to make it relevant and

accessible. - Look to and learn from existing long-distance walking, cycling and motoring trails:

o e.g. St Patricks Way, the Wild Atlantic Way. - Identify the places where events in the Táin took place:

o the valley behind Omeath as a natural amphitheatre. o develop marketing and promotional initiatives around these locations.

- Involve other cultural organisations in the March: o e.g. Gaelic Athletic Association, Macra na Feírme, Irish Countrywomen’s

Association. - Integrate the Táin into the school curriculum, particularly at primary level:

o champions’ games (strongest, fastest). o gender roles – adopt the names and personas of characters in the saga.

- Develop and emphasise the centrality of The Táin March: o view the March as cultural vehicle. o link the March to commemoration of contemporary community heroes, e.g

members of Defences Forces (army, navy, air corps) and Gardaí who have died on duty.

- Make the March relevant to communities: o develop and nurture links with communities along the March route. o link-up between the visitor and interpretative centres at Navan Fort

(Armagh) and Rathcroghan (Tulsk) and the facilities at Stephenstown Pond. o support and promote linkages between the sites, e.g. physical and online

signposting. o develop a passport to the Táin, to be stamped at way-points.


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o offer discounts to those visiting Táin designated facilities along the route. - Promote the profile of the Táin internationally:

o amongst the Irish diaspora (community organisations) abroad. o via publications such as in-flight magazines. o commission artwork of characters from the Táin on postage stamps.

AFTERNOON SESSIONS: The agenda for the conference had scheduled two sessions after lunch: SESSION 3 on ‘Envisioning the Táin’ and SESSION 4 on ‘Positioning the Táin’. As a result of discussions substituted two afternoon sessions focusing on ‘practical initiatives’ and ‘funding & marketing’, as follows. SESSION 3: Practical Initiatives A short general discussion was held and five potential initiatives were decided upon. Groups were formed to explore and make recommendations on each. The topics were as follows:

a) Táin artworks/Sculpture; c) Táin Ribbon; e) Strongest-(Wo)man Event; b) Táin Characters; d) Táin Passport.

RESPONSES (unsorted): a) Táin Artworks/Sculpture

- Promote the existing pieces of artworks/sculpture themed on the Táin. - Identify previously omitted characters for new sculpture:

o Morrigan, Fergus, Findabair etc. - Identify relevant locations for the placing of sculpture:

o locations to be chosen should be based not only on characters in the Táin but also on plot themes, e.g. water, viewpoints (landscape), territorial boundaries.

b) Táin Characters - Recognise the over-exposure and patterns of preoccupation with certain

characters in the Táin, e.g. Cúchulainn, Medb, Donn Cuailnge. - Identify characters in the Táin who have little or no exposure in contemporary

media, e.g. Babhb, Nadcranntail, Conchobair etc. - Develop set piece drama, song and spectacle around particular characters and

events, e.g. Fergus/the finding of the Táin, Cúchulainn versus Nadcranntail. - Commissioning of graphic-novel type publications on events in the Táin, e.g. the

graphic novel style publication produced by Galway Heritage Office in 2014 for Athenry and Loughrea.

- Facilitate the recreation of characters by primary school-children via art & craft workshops.

- Development of ‘summer camps’ themed on Táin characters and events.


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c) Táin Ribbon - The essence of the this idea is that the text of the Táin be printed out as ‘ribbon

text’ in a large font on a very long length of fabric or tape. - In practice, this might mean printing out particular passages/stories/events from

the Táin on ribbons c.100 to 150m in length. - Allocate particular events/stories on lengths of tape to individual communities. - Explore possibility that communities could parade/carry tape with them for

segments of the Táin March. - Explore the idea of commercial sponsorship for the ribbons.

d) Táin Passport - The idea is loosely based on the idea of ‘loyalty cards’ and/or existing heritage card

schemes in Britain and Ireland. - The aim would be to design, promote and deliver a similar scheme for the route of

the Táin. - Develop a network of way-points where Táin cards can be stamped:

o Utilise existing infrastructure, e.g. Tourist Offices. - Alternatively, utilise modern technology to deliver the scheme:

o Geo-cashing and/or development of an APP for mobile devices. e) Strongest-(Wo)man Event

- Explore the practicality of developing events around particular sports: o e.g. running, wrestling, spear-throwing (javelin), hurling, stone-throwing

(shot-put). - Could be linked to, or incorporate, tug-of-war competitions:

o e.g. team tug-of-war or tug-of-war as a ‘single combat’ at a river-ford. - Develop individual skill/accuracy tests:

o e.g. puck a sliotar through a hoop; sling-shot at a target. - Tailor the events to a range of age-groups, young and old. - Promote these events via existing networks of GAA and athletic clubs or dovetail

with existing events such as TRIAtlone (http://www.triathlone.com) and/or An Poc Fada (http://pocfada.gaa.ie/).

- Develop specific competitions for public versus private sector groups: o e.g. teams of night-club bouncers versus a defences-forces.

SESSION 4: Funding & Marketing The final session of the conference took the dual theme of how to develop funding and marketing strategies for nurturing and promoting the Táin. Rather than getting bogged down in detail, the approach adopted was to encourage ‘brain-storming’ and ‘blue-sky thinking’ around these very complex topics. RESPONSES (unsorted):

- Investigate the possibility of funding (in cash and/or in kind) from the following

http://www.triathlone.com/

http://pocfada.gaa.ie/


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bodies and agencies: o Tidy Towns (http://www.tidytowns.ie/) ; Northern Ireland Peace Process;

local festivals, e.g. Dundalk Maytime Festival, Body and Soul Festival (Devlin); GAA clubs (www.gaa.ie); Macra na Feírme (http://www.macra.ie); Irish Famers. Association (http://www.ifa.ie/); Louth-Meath Education and Training Board (http://louthmeath.etb.ie/).

o Individual philanthropists or philanthropic bodies, e.g. The Naughton Foundation (http://www.thenaughtonfoundation.com).

- Explore the possibilities offered by volunteering and free-funding: o identify agencies who could assist/provide volunteers. o obtain advice on cloud-funding.

- Develop partnerships and/or formal relationships with relevant organisations: o the Navan Centre, Co. Armagh and Rathcroghan Centre, Co. Roscommon. o approach the SPCs (Strategic Policy Committees) in the relevant local

authorities. o link up with the business and marketing departments within Dundalk

Institute of Technology, the Institute of Technology Sligo, Queens University Belfast and/or University College Dublin, amongst others.

- Draft a scoping document for an integrated marketing plan: o to include initiatives embracing website, social media and APPs.

Recommendations The foregoing responses represent a significant and collective expression of the potential of Táin Bó Cuailnge as a cultural and tourism resource. Based on them, the following general recommendations have been compiled and are offered as points for future work:

1. To develop the Táin March into a major regional walking event extending from Tulsk, Co. Roscommon to Cooley, Co. Louth embracing the counties of Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Armagh and Down: - to nurture involvement amongst communities in the above-mentioned counties

via innovative formats, e.g. competitions, dramatic reconstructions of events, highlighting of sites associated with story.

- building on the successful participation of a contingent of the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army (from Aiken Barracks, Dundalk) in the 2014 March, to facilitate the further involvement of defence force personnel.

- to develop the concept of ‘feeder marches’ joining the main march. - to develop participation amongst communities along the return/homeward leg of

the Táin route which runs via the towns of Kells, Mullingar, Athlone and Roscommon.

2. To maintain and develop walking as core value of the event: - the option of cycling to complement the above should be explored.

http://www.tidytowns.ie/

http://www.gaa.ie/

http://www.macra.ie/

http://www.ifa.ie/

http://louthmeath.etb.ie/

http://www.thenaughtonfoundation.com/


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- the correlation of existing ‘driving’ and ‘walking’ trails into an integrated whole. 3. To encourage and, where possible, facilitate the dissemination the story of the Táin: - facilitate the co-ordination of readily accessible offline and online resources for

those interested in learning about the Táin. - facilitate the layering of the above on the basis of age-groups, levels of interest,

and areas of interest. - encourage a multi-media approach to same to include drama, music and song. 4. Commission an integrated business and marketing plan: - organise briefing/scoping meeting(s) with representatives of relevant

departments (business, marketing, hospitality, tourism) in the institutes of technology and universities, north and south of the border.

5. Utilise community lore as well as academic research on the topographical aspects of the Táin so as to provide full and as accurate as possible re-tracings and re-enactments of the story: - gather and assess local lore regarding the Táin. - explore the potential of characters and set pieces from the story for re-enactment. - re-trace both the outward and homewards legs of the route. 6. To develop ‘Ionad Táin Bó Cuailnge’ at Stephenstown Pond into a centre for learning and experiencing Táin Bó Cuailnge: - workshops themed on the 'life and times' of the Táin. - develop a Táin-Story-Trail in the grounds of Stephenstown Pond. - initiate a Táin ‘summer school’.

Conclusion The conference concluded with a short address from Mr Padraic White, Chairperson of the Louth Economic Forum (Fig. 3) who emphasised the important role of initiatives like the Táin March for the social and economic well-being of Ireland’s regions. Proceedings were wound up at approximately 3.45pm by Tim Mullins, Chairperson of the Táin March committee, who flagged the need for further meetings of this type. For additional details and images of the Conference, see the Táin March website (www.tainmarch.net) and Facebook under ‘The Táin March’.

Acknowledgements The organisers of the conference would like to thank the following for their support: the catering staff at Stephenstown Pond for the excellent sustenance provided during the day; to Philip Kelly, of Stephenstown Pond for his professionalism and diligence in arranging the conference facilities; to Nick George, DKIT, for assistance during the day and with the compilation of this report; to Mark McCarthy and John Tunney of GMIT for

http://www.tainmarch.net/


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reading and commenting on the report; to Mary T. Daly, Director of Services, Louth CoCo for her co-operation; and last but not least to Louth County Council for a grant towards the cost of organising the conference.


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Figure 3 (above and below): Views of the conference in progress (Photo: Shay Larkin).


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Appendix 1: Conference Letter of Invitation

Dear Colleague

The Táin March is a local festival established in 2011 (www.tainmarch.net). It seeks to celebrate the internationally renowned epic tale of Táin Bó Cuailnge through walking, re-enactment and historical drama.

Its innovative features include widespread community involvement, historical re-enactment, accurate re-tracing of the route and constant movement as the army of Queen Medb marches through towns, villages and countryside re-living the epic cattle-raid of 2000 years ago. To date, the festival has been limited to Co. Louth but the original route traversed counties Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Armagh and Down. We would like to see it developed into a major regional and cross-border event with a prominent place in Ireland's cultural and tourism calendar. To that end, we are inviting stakeholders in the cultural and tourism sectors to a one-day conference at Stephenstown Pond (www.stephenstownpond.com), Knockbridge, Dundalk on Monday 2nd November, 2014. Commencing at 10.30am and finishing at 4.00pm, the meeting will comprise of four structured sessions focusing on the following:

The Táin as a Cultural Inheritance: Early Irish literature, the Ulster cycle; surviving texts; translations & studies.

The Táin & Interpretation: the existing cultural landscape - events, agencies, infrastructure.

Envisioning the Táin: scoping ideas, initiatives and proposals for the development of The Táin March.

Positioning the Táin: practical proposals re regional and cross-border partnerships, funding and marketing initiatives

We hope that you can attend the conference as it will produce a working report to carry forward the idea and decisions made on the day.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours sincerely

_______________ ______________ ______________ _____________

Tim Mullens Paul Gosling Frances Taylor Mel O Loan

RSVP: Email: [email protected] Tel: 00 353(0)42 9379873 *Regrets Only

mailto:[email protected]


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Appendix 2: List of Attendees Name Organisation Email Address Phone Number Expression of Interest

Sharon McArdle Community Arts, Youth [email protected] 086 1717 183 Arts, community arts & education

Margaret Dolan - [email protected] 086 355 6124 General

Therese Hamill Ring of Gullion, Newry & Mourne Council [email protected] marketing

Daniel Curley Rathcroghan Visitors Centre [email protected] 0719639268/0879731886 generating links

Harry McCarthy CCTA [email protected] 087 261 0658

Seamus Murphy Hillwalking [email protected] 087 367 1861

Margaret Harold Carlingford Heritage Trust [email protected] 086 256 1704 general

Kim Hodgetts - [email protected] 086 845 8488 general

Marian Scanlon Stephenstown Pond Trust [email protected] 087 271 0716

Brian Walsh Louth County Museum [email protected] 042 93 27056

Rosaleen Litter

Damien Houlahan

Padraic White

Eva Molloy

The Navan Centre, Armagh

The Navan Centre, Armagh

Louth Economic Forum

Omeath Historical Society

[email protected]

[email protected]

-

-

042 93 75153

Ciaran Phillips - [email protected] 087 644 1749

Declan Breathnach

Marian Scanlon

Stephenstown Pond Trust

Stephenstown Pond Trust

[email protected]

-

087 269 7638

Nick George Student, DKIT [email protected] 087 173 8860

Brian Mohan An Garda Siochána [email protected] 087 790 3547

Brendan McSherry Heritage Officer, Louth CoCo [email protected] 086 601 3839

Grainne Ward

Seamus Crossan

Tourism Officer, Fáilte Ireland

St. Patricks Camino

-

[email protected]

087 228 7996

Brian Harten

Sinead Roche

Roddy McCollum

Shane McCollum

Geraldine McCullough

Philip Kelly

Paul Gosling

Tim Mullins

Frances Taylor

Mel O’Loan

Shay Larkin

Neil McKellar

Margaret McKellar

Bronach Macken

Arts Officer, Louth CoCo

Tourism Officer, Dundalk Tourism Office

Raven Crafts, Stephenstown Pond

Raven Crafts, Stephenstown Pond

Stephenstown Pond

Stephenstown Pond

Dept. of Heritage & Tourism, GMIT

Chairperson, Táin March Committee

Táin March Committee – project director

Táin March Committee – artistic director

Táin March Committee – marketing

Táin March Committee

Táin March Committee

Omeath District Development Co.

[email protected]

[email protected]

-

-

-

-

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

-

-

-



















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Appendix 3: Conference Schedule


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Bibliography CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts) in University College Cork [provides scholarly transcriptions and translations of most of the major versions of the Táin] - Available at: http://www.ucc.ie/celt/ Aron Donnelly and Paul Gosling - ‘The Táin March: an analysis of a regional walking/heritage festival’. - Paper presented at THRIC: Tourism & Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, 6-7th June, 2013. - Available as a download from: https://www.academia.edu/5157109/The_T%C3%A1in_March_an_analysis_of_a_regional_walking_heritage_festival). Joseph Dunn - The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cualnge, - David Nutt, London 1914. - Available as a download from: https://archive.org/details/ancientirishepic00dunnuoft). Arthur Gribben - ‘The Táin Tradition in Contemporary North County Louth’ - Éire-Ireland 24 (1989), 4, 6-20. Arthur Gribben - ‘Táin Bó Cuailnge: A Place on the Map, a Place in the Mind’ - Western Folklore, 49, 3 (July 1990), 277-291.

http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

https://www.academia.edu/5157109/The_T%C3%A1in_March_an_analysis_of_a_regional_walking_heritage_festival

https://archive.org/details/ancientirishepic00dunnuoft

Conference Report: The Living Táin - a stakeholders conference

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