For those of you who have been to Féile na gCloch (Festival of Stone) on Inis Oírr, you may have taken part in the wonderful sketching workshops that take place as part of the festival. This year the festival is hosting a virtual “Draw Stone Walling” sketching event. There will be spot prizes, with a first prize of a free event ticket to Féile na gCloch 2022 that will take place on Onis Oírr.
So wherever you are in the world and whatever age you are, get creative and get involved. You might want to draw, paint, cartoon or doodle your local dry stone wall or stone project that you are working on. Or you might like to sketch a scene from Inis Oírr or memory of Féile na gCloch. Check out some of the myths and memories on www.zibaldoneproject.com for inspiration.
Share your memories of the beauty of Inis Oirr’s dry stone walls and landscapes by taking part in our online sketching competition. This is an international competition that is open to all ages.
To have your art included in the world wide event and be in with a chance of winning a prize, make sure that you post you photos or videos online using the hashtags #FeilenagCloch #DRAWstonewalls or email your creations to us at inisheeerzibaldone@gmail.com along with your name, age (if under 16 years) and country, and we will post all your creations on the Féile na gCloch website and the Zibaldone Project website and on social media.
Closing date for entries is Sunday 10th October 2021. Prizes include: Event only ticket to Féile na gCloch 2022, Festival Tshirts & Hoddies and more.
Drawing out the Stones
This conversation with stonemason Pat McAfee about building a stone mason’s dream in Drimnagh Castle in Dublin might inspire you when drawing out the stones either when you are sketching them or trying to construct something with them.
Drawing and mark making workshop
This is a drawing and mark making online workshop presented by James Moore who leads the drawing workshop at Féile na gCloch each year. As part of the artistic duo JesseJames, he was an artist in residence on Inis Oírr in 2017 and created the Inisheer Zibaldone project.
You can either follow the ideas and techniques in these videos and online workshops, or use your own creative mark making ideas to capture your memories of Inis Oírr and Féile na gCloch.
Féile na gCloch, the festival of stones, unfurls virtually in 2021 on the 2nd October. Engage with the event whenever suits you via the Galway Heritage website.
Féile na gCloch, festival of stones, is an annual event on Inis Oírr. It brings together practitioners in stone walling, stone carving and letter carving from around the world to celebrate the heritage of the stones of the Aran Islands. In 2017, a new workshop was introduced, to reflect on the role that drawing and sketching plays in each of these traditions.
The Zibaldone Project 