Lough Boora Parklands

Turf, wind and fire sculpture launched in Lough Boora Parklands
On Wednesday, 14th December, a few brave souls braved the elements for the launch of the latest sculpture in Lough Boora Parklands. Created as part of the 2011 Year of Craft, the sculpture was conceived and created by members of Offaly Crafty and Bord na Móna staff. 
Following on from their recent success with the sculpture “Continuance” recently hosted by Offaly County Council, and then the Offaly Crafty Pop-up shop in Tullamore, the members of Offaly Crafty decided to end the year with a bang!
Lough Boora Parklands is known for its internationally acclaimed sculpture park. This time, instead of an international artist, the concept and creation all came from a little closer to home.
The three artists involved were:
Ross Hathaway of Metal Mayhem, based in Kilcormac www.metalmayhem.biz
Paul Coyne of Nine Design, based in Tullamore www.paul-coyne.com
Rosemarie Langtry of Pebblestone Studios, based in Ballinahown www.pebblestonestudio.com

The concept was born after lengthy discussions between the artists. All were in agreement that a dynamic sculpture was the way forward, breathing life into the soul of static materials. The sculpture should interact with the forces of nature but would still remain sympathetic to its surroundings and pay homage to the heritage of the land.
Once a site was agreed upon ~ a small island in the middle of Loch an Dochais (adjacent to Loch Boora), a plan was hatched.
Due to the proximity of Bord na Móna works at Boora, we felt it key that in some way the piece should reflect the recent industry that has thrived in this area over the past few decades giving employment to hundreds of local workers and give perhaps a hint of how the future may evolve with sustainable clean energy sources.

For all three artists it was important to leave as little environmental impact as possible. Recycled materials were sourced from friends, family and donated by Bord na Móna. All were gratefully received!
The sculpture incorporates industrial and organic materials blending together to create a symbolic beacon.On a breezy day the “flames” become alive, dancing and reflecting light as they spin. Copper has been used with the intention that over time it will produce a green patina symbolic of Bord na Móna’s progression into sustainable energy sources.
The materials in the base of the fire are representative of those used throughout the ages in mans quest for heat sources.Branches, logs, turf and briquettes symbolised by steel pipes and Bog Oak
The centrepiece of Bog Oak sculpture, pointing towards the sky brings us full cycle, a resource from the past reaching out into a bright future.

As part of National Heritage week, Bord na Móna will host a special ‘Lore and Laughter in the Parklands’ event in Lough Boora Parklands in Co Offaly, on Saturday 20th August 2011.

‘Lore and Laughter in the Parklands’ is one of a series of activities and events taking place across Ireland for National Heritage Week.  The theme of this year's National Heritage Week is ‘Tell a Tale’ which focuses on the great Irish tradition of story telling.  ‘Lore and Laughter in the Parklands’ will feature a wide variety of activities for all ages and is the perfect way for families to mark the end of the Summer holidays before the kids head back to school.

This free, fun-filled event takes place from 12 noon to 5pm.  Activities on the day will include fishing (the lake will be stocked with fish for the event), face painting, zorbing, bike hire and interactive nature trails led by Bord na Móna’s ecologists.

One of the key attractions on the day will be storytelling. Sitting on a ‘magic carpet’, visitors can listen to - and join in with - tales from Story Bear and children will be invited to draw or write a story after the tales are told.

The Rehab Waterways Adventure in Association with Bord na Móna sees the heritage boat, the 'Nieuwe Zorgen'  set sail for four weeks from 12th May, visiting towns and villages throughout the Midlands of Ireland on an awareness-raising and fundraising adventure for Rehab. This is the second year of the adventure. At each stop along the route local people are invited to come and take a look at the heritage boat up-close and meet its owner and captain, Eric Kemp.

The final stage of the adventure takes place on Sunday, 12th June at Lough Boora Parklands in Co. Offaly marked by a not-to-be-missed event for friends and family to enjoy. ‘Unlock the Adventure at Lough Boora’ is a  fun filled family event that will include a range of activities for all ages such as guided nature trails, face painting, arts and crafts plus much more.

Spring has well and truly sprung here in the parklands. Every day more of our wildflowers are coming into bloom and the animals are busily preparing for the new life that will shortly arrive (or indeed, has already done so!).

In order to share the beauty of Spring in the parklands with you, we've created a new gallery of some of our favourite photos taken in recent weeks. Of course, we'd love for you to come along to the park, and see all of the magic for yourself.