Launch of Amanda Ralph’s ‘Paper Boats’ in Lough Boora Discovery Park

A public sculpture entitled ‘Paper Boats’ by artist Amanda Ralph has been on quite an expedition. They began life as a fleet of seven boats that call upon the wistful desire for adventure you sometimes get when watching a boat going out to sea, and were commissioned by Offaly County Council in 2000 for the River Brosna in Clara. Two winters later, the river rose considerably after a storm and debris swirled around the chained anchors, dragging some of them under. The OPW were called to dredge the river, and Offaly County Council employee Dominic Fleming spotted the machine hauling the boats onto the riverbank. Rescuing five of the seven, he placed them in storage in Clara, waiting for someone to claim them. Around this time, the Arts Office in Offaly County Council was undergoing a change of personnel and somehow the fate of the rescued boats was overlooked.

 

Arts Officer, Sinéad O’Reilly says, “When I took up the post in 2005, I found a record of them having being commissioned, but nothing of what had happened to them subsequently. I had heard in conversation that the OPW removed them, but nothing further. In 2014, Amanda contacted us to ask if we knew anything about what had happed to the sculptures. We started to ask questions locally and amazingly we found them, stored in a loft in a depot in Clara. We are very grateful to Dominic Fleming for rescuing the sculptures when he did. He even managed to avoid them being turned into planters over the years! Two of them are still missing, possibly buried into the river bank from when the river was dredged.”

 

Amanda assessed their condition and brought them to Arklow Marine Services where they had been originally engineered, 14 years earlier. “I was worried that there would be nobody who would remember making them and we’d have difficulty in getting them restored, but Billy Tyrrell, a fifth generation boat builder, recollected them immediately. Arklow Marine are one of the leading boat builders in Ireland, so I imagine a project like this sticks in their minds”.

 

While being restored, a new home was found for the remaining boats at Lough Boora Discovery Park in the context of its existing Sculpture Park. The boats were placed in Lough an Dochas at the Visitor Centre just before Christmas. Sinéad says, “We are delighted with the new location and wish to thank Bord na Mona and Kilcormac Development Association for providing a ‘safe harbour’ for them. They are the first sculptures visitors encounter at the park from the centre, and their original meaning of a wistful desire for adventure and discovery retains its value here too

 

Paper Boats will be re-launched at the Visitor Centre at Lough Boora Discovery Park on Friday January 16th at 3.30pm by writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan, and all are welcome.

Amanda Ralph's 'Paper Boats' launch in Lough Boora - Friday 16th January 2015

Stargazing on the bog

Have you ever looked up and wondered how to navigate the night’s sky?

The Midlands Astronomy Club will be hosting an introduction to astronomy in Lough Boora Discovery Park on Saturday the 15th of November. This is one of a number of events being held in conjunction with the Science Festival 2014..

As part of the event there will be a talk and then we will switch off all the lights, go outside and look up at the night sky using equipment supplied by the club. It is advised that you wrap up well and bring a flask of something hot to keep away the cold as you enjoy the starry open sky of Lough Boora.

This event is suitable for all ages, so bring the whole family down for this unique opportunity. The event will begin at 8pm, so please assemble at the Visitors Centre where there will be tea and coffee available before to the talk.

To book your place please click here.

Photo:  Naoise Kelly Photography (http://naoisek.com/)

5k Run and Walk

On your marks, get set, run! On Sunday the 2nd of November the Lough Boora running club are holding a 5k run/walk through the picturesque Lough Boora Discovery Park.

The run will begin at 11am, with registration open from 10am, allowing you plenty of time to warm up.

Runs in a setting as beautiful as this are few and far between, so to experience the wonder and colours of Autumn while getting a breath of fresh air just  grab your running shoes and get down to Lough Boora on the day.

There is an entry fee of €10 to participate in the run, and there will be prizes for the winners after the event. All of the funding is in aid of an upcoming charity event which will be taking place in 2015.
For further information contact Paul on 086 8174510, Neill on 087 6536953, John Bennett on 087 6280160 or John Leahy on 087 2073226.

Official launch of Lough Boora Discovery Park

Bord na Móna’s new €1.5 million euro development, which sees a new visitor centre and facilities in Lough Boora Discovery Park, Co. Offaly, was officially opened this morning by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White T.D.

Speaking today at the official opening, Mr. John Horgan, Chairman, Bord na Móna, said: “The new visitor facilities will provide an improved experience for all visitors, schools and communities, helping everyone to enjoy the full extent of Lough Boora Discovery Park. This significant development that we are here to launch today will support the future economic growth of not only West Offaly but the entire County and will prove to be a unique and significant attraction for local, national and international visitors.”

The development of Lough Boora started in 1994 when Bord na Móna staff and representatives of the local community formed the Lough Boora Group. They completed a feasibility study which formed a blueprint for the subsequent development of the greater Lough Boora area. Lough Boora Discovery Park now extends to over 2000 hectares and has a network of off-road walking and cycle routes within a perimeter of approximately 20 kilometres. Various internal looped walkways and routes offer a wonderful vista of scenic beauty, heritage and an impressive collection of sculptures. Through a creative combination of nature and the human hand, and under the direction of Bord na Móna, this is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and families alike.

He continued: “Throughout the planning and building process, Bord na Móna sought to create a sense of arrival and identity for Lough Boora Discovery Park, to provide improved visitor facilities and services and to upgrade interpretation and signage throughout the whole site. A key objective of this investment was to provide a sustainable development that is in keeping with the landscape. With this in mind, the building itself has a number of environmentally friendly features, including use of sustainable materials in construction, a green roof, solar energy, and an ecological waste water treatment system, amongst other things.”

Mr. Horgan concluded: “Projects such as this cannot come to fruition without the support of the various stakeholders that are here today. For our part, we are delighted with the support, time and commitment received from Fáilte Ireland and Offaly County Council. I would also like to thank all the other organizations, groups and individuals that have made a major contribution to the development of Lough Boora over many years, whose hard work and dedication has made such a wonderful facility as this a reality.”

Lough Boora announced as Finalist in 2014 Web Awards

The Lough Boora Discovery Park website has been announced as a Finalist in the Best Practice category for this year’s Web Awards, which take place at Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin on Wednesday 22 October 2014.

The new Lough Boora Discovery Park website was launched in early August 2014 as part of a Bord na Móna initiative to increase awareness of the park as a free amenity in the heart of Ireland that offers something for everyone.

The website highlights the activities that are available for all ages and abilities, with information about the park’s nature and biodiversity, history and the story of Bord na Móna. The new website testing.loughboora.com encourages users to visit Lough Boora Discovery Park, discover and explore all this amenity has to offer.

The 2014 Web Awards take place at Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin on Wednesday 22 October 2014.

For more information, visit testing.loughboora.com and connect with us on Twitter @loughbooraparkFacebook and YouTube.