Drafting the Downpour

Drafting the Downpour: A Community Rain Harvest Design at The Watershed

Ground Up Artists Collective, with support from The Down to Earth Collective, Blue Drum and the Arts Council of Ireland, invite you to The Watershed, Ballagh, near Ennistymon (V95 N9F5).

Situated within the catchment of Lickeen Lough, just 1km away, this hands-on workshop begins at 2pm, Wed 19th August. Together we will design and build a simple rainwater harvesting system to feed a productive garden, exploring how rain can be captured, stored and reused as a practical Nature-based Solution for homes, gardens and community spaces to slow and filter water.

With artist Maeve Collins, participants will draw, sketch and map the system as it is built, using drawing as a practical design tool to understand how water flows. Our resident artist, Chiman Dangi, will bring his perspective from Rajasthan, where some areas receive as little as four days of rain a year which becomes the drinking water for the rest of the year. His sculpture, created in response to Sruth, the art and ecology project on Lickeen Lough, will also be on view.

Participants will leave with their own sketches and plans, helping them imagine and create similar rainwater harvesting gardens at home or in their communities. The workshop explores a creative cross-pollination of design, drawing and ecology.

The completed rainwater harvesting system and Chiman Dangi's sculpture will remain at The Watershed as ongoing cultural and educational resources.

All welcome. No previous experience necessary.

This event forms part of Sruth, an ongoing community arts and ecology project led by Maeve Collins and the Ground Up Artists Collective, exploring the relationship between water, land and community in the Lickeen Lough catchment through creative practice, Nature-based Solutions and local collaboration. To learn more about the project and see documentation from last year's Water Heritage Day and other events, visit Maeve Collins' website www.maevecollins.net. The Sruth project brings together artists, environmental practitioners and local communities to deepen our understanding of the catchment that supplies drinking water to around 15,000 people in North Clare. About The Down to Earth Collective

The Down to Earth Collective is a North Clare-based community group that brings people together to learn practical skills for living more sustainably. Through hands-on workshops, shared gardening, ecological design and community projects, the collective encourages people to reconnect with nature, build resilience and care for the land together. Their work promotes biodiversity, local food production and simple Nature-based Solutions that support healthy ecosystems and thriving communities.