Aileen Lambert with participants on local tour of Bekan, Co Mayo, as part of En Route, a recent public art commission.
Artist seeks assistance on Place names of Fingal
Artist Aileen Lambert has been commissioned by Fingal County Council with funding from the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government’s Per Cent for Art Scheme.Aileen, from County Wexford, is a stranger to the area and so for her project she is seeking assistance from locals with regard to local placenames and their origins.
Placenames refer to physical or natural features which are or were indigenous to a particular area. Scratching the surface of this research Aileen has discovered that Howth is derived from the Norse ‘hofuth’ meaning head and that Portmarnock refers to a landing place or bank of a river.While some elements are still present in the landscape, others may have disappeared, the artist is interested in both for example, Clonsilla means ‘Cluain Saileach’, or meadow of the Sallys ? or that The Naul, from the Irish An Aill means cliff. With land reclaimed and covered over through time and development it is the placename that maintains the memory of the original landscape. Aileen would be delighted to hear from you if you have information on any Fingal placenames and could identify the landscape feature they refer to, perhaps you know where the Naul cliff is or Clonsilla’s meadow? If you have any information you can contact Aileen on 087 7552593 or 053 9256855 or email aileenlambert@gmail.com.
Aileen hopes to make a series of video works in response to selected the landscapes and the significance of their placenames.
For further information please contact Caroline Cowley, Public Arts Co-ordinator,01 8708449,caroline.cowley@fingalcoco.ie
www.aileenlambert.ie
