Fortune takes a tour 'Around Our Faithful Homes'
Join artist and folklorist Michael Fortune on Around The Faithful Homes for a live one-hour virtual tour on Facebook of some of the 100 objects and stories collected by the people of Offaly.
It will feature a selection of the participants speaking about some of the objects.
Over 200 images and stories were received from every corner of Offaly ranging from old posters, old tractors, old toys, farm implements, hurls, shop letterheads, postcards, family Christening shawls, block makers, brick makers, stained glass windows, school books.
Michael in collaboration with a core group of people who submitted some of the images have selected the best 100 images of objects with stories and curated them into an online exhibition, which will be officially unveiled online on Sunday March 21, where Michael will host a live zoom event that will be broadcasted over Facebook.
He has worked in Offaly before on folklore collection work and runs folklore.ie on Facebook, as well as doing bits and pieces for National Treasures on RTÉ radio and television. Michael who hails from Wexford was meant to be working in Edenderry since last October but due to Covid he has had to do the project remotely.
His project 'Around the Faithful Homes' became a "lockdown project", which turned out to be all the more exciting because of it. The photographic project saw the people of Offaly taking photographs of objects in their homes, sheds, gardens and yards that have a particular personal association to them, their family and their neighbours.
"No fancy cameras were required or previous experience needed, just people with an interest in objects, their stories and taking a few snaps”.
"Everything included in this exhibition was taken by people on their phones in their own homes and we got a tremendous response to it. I think it resonated with people because it was a way for them to communicate with the outside world during this lockdown period.
"We're social animals at heart and we want to communicate with other people - it's in us. Another thing the Irish are very good at is holding onto things, and that's happens the length and breadth of the country.
"We never throw anything out which means all sorts of old treasures that speak to our past turn up. We got lots of photos of old farm machinery, and as a nation we keep things like old tractors because it belonged to our grandfather, we stick a lick of paint on it and plant a few flowers in it.
"We got photos of brick moulds and concrete block makers - all very industrial but it speaks to our social fabric and built environment. One lady sent in a photo of Pioneer total abstinence diary, again a sign of a particular time in our history.
"Years ago pubs used to bottle their own Guinness and stick their own label on it, so 'Murphy's of Birr' for instance. Another lady sent in a crucifix made out of old cigarette boxes - we were a crafty people back then and used to make things out of all sorts, we didn't have the arts and crafts shops that we have today, so we were very resourceful and that is a good example of a piece of folk art.