For the past number of months The Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland in collaboration with The International Stone Foundation have been working hard behind the scenes on creating a big dry stone walling event to join in the nation wide celebrations of The Gathering Ireland 2013 that is running throughout the year.
The Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland (DSWAI) and the Stone Foundation based in the USA have come together with a vision to invite this international community ‘home’ for a Gathering of Stones in the geographical centre of Ireland. In association with Bord na Mona, The Gathering of Stones will be an event where wallers and masons from all over the world as well as people with an interest in Irish dry stone walls will come together. Under the instruction and guidance of the DSWAI they will build an attractive communal stone installation that will act as a permanent monument to all events and gatherings that will take place during The Gathering 2013.
Set in the grounds of the beautiful Lough Boora Parklands in County Offaly, the event will take place over the course of four days, during which we will build our dry stone gathering point.
All four provinces in Ireland will be represented in the sculpture by using a particular stone type and style from each province.
Bring a stone home to Lough Boora
Attendees are invited to “Bring a stone home to Lough Boora. These stones will be incorporated into the final installation. You are welcome to bring a rock, but a pebble will be more practical, something that will fit in your pocket will do just fine. A few larger rocks will also be making the trip to Ireland. A small number of granite blocks from the old Immigrant Docks near Battery Park in New York have been offered to the project. Millions of emigrants walked over these stones after registering at Ellis Island, including nearly everyone from Ireland during the famine years and after. RJW–Gem Campbell Stonemasons Inc. in Canada who have obtained these blocks have offered to donate a number of these to be incorporated into the sculpture.
Source: Stone Art Blog: An invatation to the Gathering of Stones
