New series to document Impact of Covid on communities
A PAIR of Wexford podcasters are recording a new series which will document the true impact of Covid-19 on the lives of those in our communities.
Chris Hayes and Alan Boland applied for funding to make the series through the Irish Hospice Foundation’s (IHF) Seed Grant scheme, a national initiative which aims to ‘inspire and support creative responses to the themes of dying, death and bereavement during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
The duo, who run Crannóg Media and the HedgeRadio podcast, received €900 in funding to produce their new series which they hope will ‘give voice to those grieving and dying who cannot have loved ones close’ during the pandemic.
Entitled Say It Feel It the series will feature contributions from those who have been hit hardest by the coronavirus.
‘ The idea is to give people time to express the things they might not have been able to when their loved ones passed - whether because they couldn’t visit them or because of reduced numbers at funerals,’ says Chris.
‘We are also hoping to speak to those who are isolated because of Covid-19 and are having to contemplate death without their loved ones close to them.’
Given the travel restrictions in place at the moment, and the difficulties in visiting people, Chris and Alan have used some of the funding to purchase small recorders which they will send out to those who wish to speak.
‘ They can then record themselves and send it back to us,’ explained Chris.
Overall there were 70 applications to the scheme, with just 11 approved for funding. Arts & Cultural Engagement Officer at IHF Dominic Campbell praised the quality of the projects involved.
‘Processing the applications has been like reading a national audit of how people wish to reflect and remember all their losses during this pandemic,’ he said.
‘From the rural GAA club and the village choir creating murals and choral works reflecting loss in their communities, to the potter making personalised urns for an individual’s ashes.
‘From the illustrator explaining a grandparent’s death while apart to a child, to the playwright talking to people facing the end of life, to the digital and architectural memorials which will invite Ireland to share their losses; all illustrate what IHF’s People’s Charter on Death, Dying and Bereavement revealed and the pandemic reinforces - people are seeking more opportunities to talk about and process death, dying and bereavement.’
And the IHF is an organisation particularly close to Chris’s heart.
‘ The work they do really strikes a chord with me, I nursed my own mother during her last few years. She was a good patient, she would always say “I had a good innings”,’ he says.
‘When the doctor told her she only had 6-8 weeks to live I was there, he repeated himself to make sure she heard him but she just said, “it’s fine, that’s plenty of time, I’ll get my stuff in order now.” She had a great attitude to it.’
The first episode of the Say It Feel It series will be available to listen to at the end of March at www.sayitfeelit.ie
If you would like to contribute to the series Chris can be contacted on 087 122 6266 or at podcast@crannogmedia.ie