Throughout The Gathering, held at the Seamus Heaney Homeplace in Bellaghy on the 27 and 28 June, we celebrated the work of environmental activists, learned about the many challenges and solutions underway to restore the integrity of Lough Neagh, and bolstered our own resolve to continue protecting what we love.
A man walked among the thick trunks of beech, chestnut and oak trees in Prehen, the ancient woodland remnant within Derry City. There, he encountered George, who has worked tirelessly over the years to protect this small, remaining fragment of ecological vitality. The man shared with George how Prehen saved his life, providing him with a healing place as he battled cancer.
The sedge warbler never sings the same song twice. It’s syncopated whistle rang through the room as Doris Noe shared how people in Northern Ireland adore birds, but that this adoration is ignored when development projects destroy habitat, even within designated conservation areas.
Lough Neagh residents have been working for years to regain their rightful ownership and become stewards of the lough, Bernadette McAliskey affirmed. In fact, this was part of her campaign in 1969! Her children were raised in the boglands around the lough, so unaccustomed to walking on concrete that it hurt their legs to do so.
Lough Neagh is amidst an ecological crisis, one that will likely persist for many years due to the accumulated phosphorous within its bed, according to environmental scientist Les Gornal. The most urgent task is to stop harmful agricultural runoff, he says. Alan Keyes of Ballinderry Rivers Trust shared biotic surveying as a rapid way to assess water quality within streams, thereby locating polluters within Lough Neagh’s catchment and targeting the worst offenders first. James Orr shared the principles local citizens have developed as a just transition plan for Lough Neagh, including community ownership and and a rights of nature framework for the lough.
It’s through poetry, stories, song and performance that we both celebrate and mourn. In the morning, Maura Johnson led a writing workshop. Thomas McErlean led a walking tour to the Strand at Lough Beg, where attendees sang amidst the trees and listened to Heaney’s poetry. Later in the day, children from local primary schools shared poetry about water as part of a learning programme initiated by Maura. Jim Cor performed his famous song about Lough Neagh eel fishers. The Gathering ended with “Food for My Soul,” where history, memories, song, dance, and poetry celebrated the Bann.
Over the weekend, we heard many messages united around a common theme: local citizens, working together, have been the independent EPA of Northern Ireland. And now, we demand not just protection, but also justice and restoration.
