Ode to Ballynafagh: Walk 3: Lake, Feeder and Canal Memory

Ode to Ballynafagh is a participatory arts project celebrating Ireland’s EU Presidency through music, heritage and ecology. Taking place from July to November 2026 at Ballynafagh Lake, a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation, the project brings together renowned composer Elaine Agnew, musician, writer and live performance artist Branwen Kavanagh, the acclaimed Nás na Rí Singers, and local communities. Under Natura 2000 Special Area Conservation. Ballynafagh Lake forms part of a Europe-wide network protecting rare habitats, species and the biodiversity they sustain.

Through three guided heritage and ecological walks, Ode to Ballynafagh invites participants to discover the connections between people, nature, heritage and place. In doing so the project places climate action within the living relationships between biodiversity, resilience and care for the landscape. By fostering creativity, curiosity and care for the bog landscape, the project promotes European environmental citizenship and demonstrates how local pride can be strengthened through shared experiences of the natural world that form part of our shared European heritage.

An original song work inspired by the lake’s landscape and biodiversity will be developed throughout the project which will. culminate in performances featuring the Nás na Rí Singers conducted by Tony Norton and Branwen Kavanagh and guest Kildare musicians and artists.

WALK THREE:

Our final lakeside walk explores the interconnected histories of Ballynafagh Lake, the Blackwood Feeder and the Grand Canal, tracing how water, people and infrastructure have shaped this landscape over time. Following the route of the Blackwood Feeder, participants will reflect on the ecological and cultural memories embedded within the lake and its surroundings. Here climate action sits within a wider story of water, biodiversity heritage, habitat care and shared resilience. 

Participants begin with Rachel Sweeney’s eco-somatic movement practice before learning from ecologist Mary O'Connor and listening to artist Branwen Kavanagh’s lyrical response to the landscape. Set against the natural acoustics of the reeds, water and open landscape, the event brings together heritage, ecology and collective voice in a celebration.

* Meet at Ballynafagh Lake carpark

Other Event Dates:

Listening to the Lake, Saturday, 5 September 2026, Ballynafagh Lake

Grand Canal Gathering, Saturday, 3 October 2026, Grand Canal Towpath

Ode to Ballynafagh, Saturday, 7 November 2026, Ballynafagh Lake

Voices of Kildare: Ode to Ballynafagh Public Premiere, Saturday, 21st November 2026, The Hunting Room, Casteltown House

Delivered by Kildare Library and Arts Service in partnership with Kildare County Council's Climate Action Office, the project is funded through the Culture Programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union and further supported through Creative Ireland's Community Engagement programme.

* Header image: Serena Devereux, Recursive Environments, 2025