Hut Residency / Tréimhse Cónaithe 2009

 

 

In ‘The Poetics of Space’ Bachelard explores the phenomenology of the dwelling. He sees the lone hut in the landscape as luminous amongst the darkness, ‘the centre of concentrated solitude’.

 

 

The Gangers Hut at Glashabawn was a place where workers used to gather for tea and talk. Dineen in his Irish / English Dictionary (1927) defines Bothán as a hut, a hovel, a cabin, a dwelling house and Bothánach as going from house to house, having many cabins.

 

 

The gaze of THIS solitary hut is far reaching. It has witnessed over eighty years of cutting away of the bog, first by hand, then by industrial machines. It continues to see:

 

 

 

Taking the skin off                Ag baint an craiceann de

Milling 3 times                       Muilleoireacht fé thrí

Harrowing 3 times                Fuirseadh  fé thrí

Ridging 3 times                     Mullaiocht fé thrí

Making the bay                      An bá a dhéanamh

Eleven Fields                        Aon ghort dhéag

Five on either side               Cúig ar gach taobh

The lift                                     An t ardú

The Pile                                  An chruach

The Rake                               An ráca

Painting                                  Ag péintéireacht  

Listening                                Ag éisteacht

Talking                                   Ag caint

Exchanging                           Ag malartú