Ancient connections tell a strong tale
THE ANCIENT CONNECTIONS PROJECT AIMS TO REVIVE HISTORIC LINKS BETWEEN PEMBROKESHIRE AND NORTH WEXFORD
THE Courtyard in Ferns provided the venue for a very entertaining, educational and inspiring talk recently, based around a project called Rediscovering Ancient Connections.
The aim of the project is to revive ancient links between the people of Pembrokeshire, in Wales, and those of north county Wexford.
Both communities have a deeply entwined, shared heritage and history, that extends back millennia from prehistory to the modern day.
Abarta Heritage has been engaged to deliver a programme of research, training and a Tourism Ambassador scheme.
A spokesperson for Abarta Heritage told this newspaper that community involvement is at the heart of the Ancient Connections project.
‘The aim is to involve the community and to ensure the project leaves a legacy of skills in the regions,’ said the spokesperson.
Abarta Heritage, in collaboration with Angharad Wynne, in Wales, will also be working with local communities here and in Wales to create and develop a group of tourism ambassadors who will share the rich stories and histories of both areas with visitors.
The discussion event in Ferns came in the wake of months of hard work gathering history, archaeology, folklore and stories that connect the two regions.
An aim of the project is to share those stories with the wider community.
A second story-sharing evening for the project will take place on Tuesday, February 4, in Enniscorthy.
‘The project team will share what’s been unearthed from archives and libraries so far as well as informing participants of further involvement, volunteering, and training opportunities,’ said the Abarta Heritage spokesperson.
The forthcoming event will take place in Templeshannon Community Centre, in the Shannon, Enniscorthy, at 6.30 p.m.
It’s expected it will conclude at 9 p.m.
Admission to the event will be freeof-charge and everyone is welcome to attend, however, booking of places is essential through www.eventbrite.ie.
Ancient Connections is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation programme.
One of its aims is to sustainably increase overseas tourism.
The project is led by Pembrokeshire County Council in collaboration with Wexford County Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and Visit Wexford.