Ventilation cowls that once sat above the auditorium at Íontas Arts and Community Resource Centre in Castleblayney have been given a second life as homes for bats, birds and insects, thanks to a collaboration between Carrickmacross Men's Shed and a Dundalk Institute of Technology researcher.
The new bird boxes and wildlife habitats are now fixed to the exterior of the Castleblayney arts centre, DkIT announced on Wednesday, 21 October. They were built from waste produced by the theatre itself: discarded materials left over from stage productions, together with the old ventilation cowls, which have been repurposed to shelter bats, native and migratory birds, and insects.
A PhD on "Green Theatre"
The project is part of the research of Ben Mc Cabe, a Cavan native who is undertaking a CREATE DkIT-funded PhD titled Green Theatre at DkIT's School of Creative Arts and Informatics and Maynooth University. His work looks at the environmental responsibility of the arts, and of regional theatre in particular, in responding to climate change.
He worked closely with members of the Carrickmacross shed on what DkIT described as a creative sustainability initiative. Shed members Pearse Callan, Frank Ward and Hugh Crawley are pictured with him in photographs released by the college.
"The arts play a powerful role in exchanging information with communities about climate change, encouraging environmentally responsible behaviour, and helping us recognise the often-hidden ways our everyday activities affect the natural world," Mr Mc Cabe said.
He said theatre makers and artists are increasingly rethinking how they work, "from sourcing materials responsibly and planning for their reuse, to reducing their digital footprint, energy consumption and conserving water."
At Íontas, he said, that thinking had been "put into practice in a particularly imaginative way with the help of the wonderful Carrickmacross Men's Shed," adding that building the habitats into the outside of the theatre "creates opportunities for wildlife and encourages a different relationship between the built environment and the natural world."
He hopes visitors to the centre will be encouraged to reflect on their own relationship with nature and on how "even modest changes to our buildings, communities and everyday practices can help create a more welcoming environment for wildlife."
"Give back" to the community and its wildlife
Dave Maine, Íontas Arts and Community officer, said the research had been "a wonderful insight into how we as a centre, and as a hub for the community, can give back to not only the people of the area, but to the environment and its wildlife also."
"As a facility in the modern day, it can be easy to overlook certain fauna, but by implementing small changes and recycling cleverly in a practical way, we can make our space a welcoming and shared place where nature can also be welcomed as part of our community," he said.
DkIT says the habitats will stand as an example of how the arts and theatre can take on their environmental responsibility.
Where to see them
Anyone heading to Íontas this weekend will have a chance to spot the new boxes: Joe Hanratty's new play opens at the theatre on Friday and Saturday, 23 and 24 October (our preview).
The project comes as Monaghan's four Men's Sheds, in Carrickmacross, Ballybay, Clones and Monaghan Town, continue to wait on their 2025/26 running-cost grants. In the last funding round Carrickmacross received €1,428.20 towards heating, electricity and insurance; you can read our report on the funding delay here.
