Buses, culture and book launches at ALIGHT!

Participants from groups including Ringsend Active Retirement Group, The GALS, Betty Watson Group, Greenore Community Choir and the Dazzlets were at the Vintage Inn for the ALIGHT! Book Launch.
All mages by Sandra Rodriguez and courtesy of Rowena Neville, Director of Dublin Culture Connects

We have covered the ALIGHT! Project a lot here at NewsFour, it feels like we have been with them every step of the way.

On a Thursday evening on September 14th participants and collaborators of the storytelling, dance and performance art project met to celebrate all the amazing work they had done with a book launch.

The Vintage Inn was packed with members of the local community who had come together during four weeks in January to hop on a big orange bus that connected them, quite literally, to their culture and creativity. Every dance workshop, day out and mystery history cabaret was paid tribute to in a beautifully illustrated book that you can cherish and use to reminisce on all the memories and friendships made.

All of this thanks to Dublin Culture Connects in collaboration with Coiscéim Broadreach and the National Neighbourhood.
Director and choreographer Muirne Bloomer looks back on the project, “It was a fantastic project. The idea of the number one bus route was the start of it, joining all the people of the area together. It has been lovely meeting all the different people and groups. The children are not here tonight, but we worked with lots of youth groups as well. The bus was partly a journey, partly a work of art and performance space. We also introduced people to local parts of their neighbourhood that they had never been to before. It was brilliant having chats and learning folklore and memories from people. The book is part of the legacy of the project, there’s lots of photos, we’ve recorded loads of stories. The full potential hasn’t been realised yet, I think this is the beginning of something that will grow and grow.”

Iseult Byrne, Project Director with Dublin’s Culture Connects adds “What’s interesting is that from working on the project, many participants, the artists, the local community groups and businesses want to keep working together. Maybe create an arts festival and create more events, to set up something that is sustainable in the area and through arts and culture, connect and celebrate their local community.”
To finish off the book launch, Jitterbug Jackson, clowned around by juggling knives, sang and danced. Kathy Gleeson led a sing-a-long of The Auld Triangle and another community member, Anthony, helped get the crowd going by singing Take Her Up To Monto and I still cannot get the tune out of my head!

By Jessica Ellis