North Tipperary well-represented at milestone Electric Picnic
North Tipperary acts took centre stage at the Electric Picnic this year, with artists from the region making up the full schedule on Saturday night in the festival’s Global Green area.
Nat Stone (Barrycommon), Sarah Szucs (Cloughjordan), Anatta Patrick (Cloughjordan) Ru O’Shea (Shinrone) and Bubba Shakespeare (Nenagh) headlined the Saturday night programme, curated by Cultivate, the sustainability NGO based in Cloughjordan ecovillage. Cultivate in fact curates the entire Global Green area at the Electric Picnic, an area that saw 22 different areas and instillations in action over the three days in Stradbally.
“What we are really trying to do is to showcase community resilience in the face of the many crises unfolding,” curator Davie Philip of Cultivate says. The organisation has been participating since the first Electric Picnic 20 years ago.
“We use the arts, creativity and emotions, as well as comedy storytelling and even climate improv to unlock our imaginations, to take action, to better figure out how we can build community wellbeing as part of our response to where we are at.”
Many of the instillations were from north Tipperary and environs, including Cloughjordan Community Farm, which showcased a bicycle-powered apple press, while also supplying courgettes, onions and garlic to the three food vendors in the area; the Little Green Disco – a bike-powered sound system and stage; and the north Tipperary branch of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Other north Tipperary based performers included Aaron Oscar, Ollie Moore (DJs) and Mel White (Poet), all based in Cloughjordan. Yoga teacher Majella O'Connor, also based in Cloughjordan, opened proceedings on the Saturday and Sunday with a pair of very busy sessions.
The Feeding Ourselves session focused on how to farm and produce food with people and planet at its core. This included Community Gardens Ireland, small farmer organisation Talamh Beo, Cloughjordan Community Farm and Cultivate itself via its CODECS Horizon living lab initiative, were featured.
Cultivate curated nine zones within Global Green, with food, global development, Irish environmental organisations bringing creative installations and activities, with a particular focus on community solar power initiatives this year.
PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY
North Tipperary IPSC organised a very busy part of the schedule at the Stradbally event – on cultural and community responses to the assault on Gaza. This saw dozens of people from groups and initiatives in Belfast, Cork, Clare and beyond shared experiences, solidarity, music performances and tactics. This included Belfast BDS (Boycott Divest Sanction), UCC BDS, Mothers against Genocide, Artists against Genocide, Eisteacht (a Clare-based choir focused on opposing genocide in Gaza).
Palestinian refugee performers from Jordan (Abood Aladham), Lebanon (Leen Maarouf), the West Bank (Talha Alali) and Gaza itself (Barra Bayary) showcased their considerable skills. Fergal McDonnell from Nenagh Friends of Palestine and North Tipperary IPSC spoke of the Hunger for Justice initiative the Nenagh group launched some months back. This involves one person fasting for one day, and dedicating the fast to one person who has been killed in Gaza over the last 10 months.
He also referenced the skydive by 75-year old Mary McDonnell, which raised over €40,000 for Medical Aid for Palestine and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and the establishment of the regional branch of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign as community actions.
Speaking of the Gaza session at Global Green, Fergal McDonnell said: “I found the whole experience both inspirational and motivating. It was great to meet up with other activists on Palestine from all over the island - the Belfast groups in particular - Mothers against Genocide and Belfast BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) are really doing amazing work.
“When we marched the 40 foot flag to the coca stage, and then the children's art from Gaza area, that was very moving. We aim to continue to work with these groups, as unfortunately the assault on Gaza, mostly killing women and children, and causing such enormous destruction and suffering, shows no sign of abating.”
The Global Green saw dozens of dancers and performers via the Irish Refugee Council, from Direct Provision, deliver a rousing roller-coaster of a show called ‘Rising Voices’, which acted as a real tear-jerking, emotionally powerful highlight for many Picnic attendees.
There was also a large contingent from Cork via the Creativity and Change and Sauti Studios collectives, who’s Anti-Racism Artivist Area saw dozens of acts - rappers, dancers, poets and more – run their own area all weekend and take over the main Elements of Change stage of Global Green.
In total, hundreds of people participated, dozens of organisations and initiatives were involved, and thousands attended and enjoyed Global Green 2024. The next related event is the Community Applefest on September 21 in Cloughjordan Ecovillage.