Developed by Upstate Theatre Project, the work began with conversations with local residents who shared their memories, experiences, and deep-rooted connections to the bog. Their voices and insights became the inspiration for a series of workshops led by visual artist Vivienne Byrne with young people at the Boomerang Youth Café.

From these exchanges grew a collaborative video artwork by Vivienne Byrne — a visual reflection on memory, place, and belonging. Composer Breifne Holohan created an original score in response, to be performed live by Grow Music Ensemble (Grow Music / An Táin Arts Centre School of Music) with professional musicians and soloists Ruadhán Collier O’Brien and Róisín Ward Morrow.

Bringing together community storytelling, visual art, and live performance, Bogland Hero explores how the bog connects us — across generations and through time. It celebrates the cultural and ecological significance of Ireland’s boglands: landscapes that hold our history, nurture biodiversity, and remind us of the importance of preservation and care.

Bogland Hero is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.