As an Irish artist and art teacher, my practice explores socially engaged art in community based settings, with a particular focus on the experiences and narratives of rural Ireland. My practice explores the place of the GAA and LGFA in my rural home village in County Westmeath. It presents a table setting that reflects the rituals of our ladies’ gaelic football team: pre-game breakfasts and after game celebrations with family and friends. The accoutrements on the table describe the undocumented story of our ladies football team; offering a rare glimpse into the building of a community through female amateur sport. The setting acts as an archive of the past, present and future of St Joseph’s Ladies football club, and uses textile objects to show how the team is not built just on players, but on a whole community. The approach involved in my work comprises a variety of textile processes including free-machine stitching and heat pressing. Digital media including photography, videography and audio are used to document the whole experience and routine of our dressing room.
