Crew's epic cultural voyage will visit three Mayo islands

CASADH na taoide - the turning of the tide - is the natural and consistent ebb and flow that happens effortlessly all over the planet, day after day, season after season. With each turn of the tide, as the ocean keeps its unique rhythm, the sea and her stories and histories are connected to the shores.

Here on the exposed and westerly coast of Ireland, the dependency of our islands on the sea and on the tide has forged strong connections between those islands and the people who live on them.

One of those people is Laoise Kelly, TG4 Musician of the Year and artistic director of the Achill International Harp Festival.

Laoise is part of a crew who are setting off on an epic voyage, reconnecting five islands off the coasts of Galway, Mayo and Donegal through music, song and story. Travelling on a traditional Galway hooker - Mac Duach - led by skipper Dr. Michael Brogan, the crew will visit the islands of Inishbofin (Galway), Inishturk, Clare Island and Achill Island (Mayo) and Árainn Mhór (Donegal), meeting musicians, artists, storytellers and historians along the way.

The seeds of this cultural voyage were sown two years ago, and with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland, the next couple of weeks will see Laoise and fellow crew member, Achill native Diarmuid Gielty, reconnecting with island communities on these offshore islands. They will gather stories of shared heritage and culture, with the hope of forging new connections for a shared future.

In addition to the voyage, an artist has been commissioned on each island to compose and create and collaborate on a new body of work, which will be recorded and will feature as the Friday night performance of this year’s Achill International Harp Festival in October. The commissioned artists are: Andrew Murray, singer – Inishbofin; Cathy O’Toole, musician – Inishturk; Beth Moran, weaver - Clare Island; Mary Lavelle Burke, RIP, visual artist – Achill; and Proinsias Mac a’Bhaird, writer - Árainn Mhór.

The journey will commence this Friday, July 16, as Laoise and Diarmuid hop on board the Mac Duach and visit Oileán Mhic Dara, to pay tribute to St. Mac Dara, the patron saint of seafarers. They will then continue their journey onto Inishbofin, Inishturk, Clare Island and Achill Island and aim to drop the anchor in Arranmore towards the end of the month.

* Pictured, a view of the harbour on Inishturk, one of the three Mayo islands the crew will visit.