Port Stories Ports, Past and Present

For this episode of Port Stories, Ports, Past and Present researcher Dr Claire Nolan speaks to Betty Ashe, resident of the Dublin Docklands and long-term community activist. Betty played a central role in the social regeneration and development of the Docklands after the demolition and depopulation of the area in the early 60s. She talks about her work, the past role of women in the Docklands, and how the strength, cohesion and vision of the women of the Docklands in the 60s and 70s helped to make it the strong, creative community it is today.

For this episode of Port Stories, Ports, Past and Present researcher Dr Claire Nolan speaks to Vicki Cummings, Professor of Neolithic archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire. Vicki is a specialist in the Neolithic (c. 4000-2500 BC) of the Irish Sea Zone, with a particular interest in early Neolithic portal dolmens and ancient DNA studies. In this episode, she talks about how she became interested in these subjects, her work in this area over the past 20 years, Neolithic mariners and the strong cultural connections between Ireland and Wales that stretch back into prehistory.

We Have Always Been Your Harbour – A Play for Voices

by Peter Murphy

Produced by Dan Comerford

We Have Always Been Your Harbour is a 25-minute play for voices, written and produced by Wexford writer and performer Peter Murphy, recorded, scored and co-produced by Rosslare native Dan Comerford. The piece was initially conceived as a response and homage to Dylan Thomas’s 1954 radio play Under Milk Wood, relocated to present-day Rosslare Harbour. It takes the form of a series of monologues by unnamed voices, drawing on the history, folklore and landscape of the area, as well as interviews with Rosslare residents, including ferry crew, port workers, local historians, writers and photographers.

The piece is impressionistic rather than narrative driven, a chorus of ghosts, underscored by original music and foley sounds recorded by Dan Comerford in the region of the port. As well as Dylan Thomas’s writings, it was inspired by works such as Edward Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology, Michael Lesy’s Wisconsin Death Trip, and the late Hal Willner’s Rogues’ Gallery. But by far the biggest influence on the work is of course the port itself, and the denizens of the harbour area. The release of the audio production will be accompanied by a short promotional film, by Dan Comerford.

A new thematic podcast from the Ports, Past and Present project team. In this episode, project team members Claire Nolan, Rita Singer and James Smith discuss heritage: its manifestations, its meaning, its relevance for port communities, its ownership and stewardship, and its role in the future.

For this episode of Port Stories, Ports Past and Present project leads Mary-Ann Constantine (CAWCS, University of Wales Trinity Saint David) and Claire Connolly (University College Cork) were delighted to speak to esteemed poet and academic Bernard O'Donoghue. Born in North Cork, Ireland, O'Donoghue moved to Manchester as a young man and later spent most of his adult life in Oxford where he taught Old English. In this episode, O'Donoghue shares his thoughts on travelling between Ireland and Britain, discusses his poem, 'Westering Home', and reads his new poem, 'Sandpipers at Rosslare'.

In this episode of Port Stories, Martin Crampin talks to artist Julie Merriman. Julie is one of twelve artists and writers commissioned to work with the project on a series of creative responses to the ports towns. A visual artist, Julie is making a series of mimeograph postcards of all five ports, and explains the background to the images made for Dublin Port, Holyhead and Rosslare. She also talks about her Carlisle Pier Residency at Dún Laoghaire (2006–10), which examined the history of the site and its social, political and psychological links to emigration, and explains the technical processes that underlie her work. A shorter, illustrated version of the interview was broadcast for the Holyhead Port Fest in May 2021, and can be seen on our YouTube channel. More examples of her work can be found on her website and an interview about her work for Carlisle Pier can also be found here.