Attention Irish water protectors!
You are warmly invited to take part in the Meeting of the Waters, a ceremony which will kick off the Gathering at Moville, County Donegal, on Saturday 17 May, beginning at 10:00. This ritual will take place outdoors at St. Eugene’s Hall, overlooking Lough Foyle.
Emissaries from Irish water bodies are invited to represent their waterbodies within a shared ritual-performance. To take part, please bring water from your own watershed. It can be from a stream, a well, a lough, the sea. You will carry the water forward in the ceremony, introduce yourself as an ambassador for the waterbody/ watershed, and pour some of the water into a receptacle. This water will be used to create oak gall ink, which will be gifted to ambassadors at the end of the Gathering. Moreover, water carried from these bodies will be brought inside the Gathering, offering their presence during our deliberations. The ritual will elevate the presence of our waterbodies as part of the Gathering and bolster our confidence to act as guardians and emissaries for our watersheds and waterways.
The proposed ritual framework:
- The ritual begins by creating a protective space
- Emissaries bring their waters’ brief messages and share the water. This will happen according to historic province, from Munster, Leinster, Connacht, Uisneach, and Ulster.
- An offering is made to the Foyle, including offering ourselves as its protectors and ambassadors.
- The water from individual water bodies is brought inside to serve as a presence within St. Eugene’s Hall (a Water Council)
- The merged waters will be used to make iron gall ink. Attendees can take this ink home and are encouraged to use it in their guardianship efforts, as we serve as the human voices for our waterways and watersheds.
Please note: all are encouraged to bring water from their waterways/ water sources to add to the Water Council, even if they do not want to speak as an emissary for the waterbody during the Meeting of the Waters ritual.
