Write your own story about our top waterways

COUNTY Louth just like everywhere in Ireland,has a rich heritage of storytelling. It is part of our national identity and defines who we are as a nation. Stories bring local places to life and help us to remember and cherish what makes those places so special and to pass it on to future generations.

Louth’s rivers, lakes, streams and sea have long been associated with Irish mythology,inspiring legends and folklore through the ages. They are beautiful, forever changing with the seasons. Nature is at its best where there is water,and people have lots of stories and memories around watercourses.

With changes to our countryside,some of this is being lost,and so a story-writing competition has been launched by the Local Authority Waters Programme(LAWPRO), in partnership with The Heritage Council and The Heritage Officer Programme, InlandFisheries Ireland and Waterways Ireland,to capture these stories.

In the European Union,streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries, canals and the coast are referred to as waterbodies,and each waterbody has something special about it.

The stories can be factual–recording what is special about wildlife, fishing, heritage, traditions and crafts,or just how things were or are–or they can be from your or someone else’s imagination.

The storyteller doesn’t have to be an expert,and the aim is to encourage all the family to get involved.

There is a category where the teller of the story can be interviewed by someone else: a great way,maybe,for a family member or friend to share memories with others, especially during this period of increased isolation.

According to Bernie O’Flaherty, Regional Coordinator with LAWPRO:‘We hope that everybody in Louth with an interest in their local waterbody will take part in this exciting competition and share their stories with us.

She added: ‘It’s amazing the number of stories out there, some of them interesting in their own right and others that can actually add to our understanding of our local waterbodies.’

‘ There is an increasing awareness among scientists too that local knowledge is often as important as expert opinion.

‘ If you think about it, who are more expert than the local communities with the stories and information on their local waterbodies? Similarly,there must be a rich diversity of stories out there on heritage and fishing which would be of interest.’

The competition is open to everyone,with under-18 and over-18 categories and entries can be in English or Irish.

The closing date for entries is 31stMay.

So get writing!