Positions through Dialoguing

It was a late spring evening when I last visited The Stone Cottage. I found myself in Finned Bridge, attempting to unearth the story of why the homestead, which I had become so enchanted with, had become derelict. The remnants of the walls were sturdy and grounded, despite the further degradation of its structural integrity since my last visit. If you defocused your eyes it became impossible to discern the structure from the surrounding landscape. I feared the story of The Stone Cottage may be disappearing into the land, along with the building.

The neighbouring farmer offered little insight into who owned The Stone Cottage. They mentioned a woman, “Tina Something-or-other,” that lived in Easkey village that may be able to tell me more. In true West Coast tradition, her house did not have a street name or number, simply described as the yellow house past the school. 

When I knocked on the door of what I believed to be the yellow house past the school I was met with an older man. I explained the location of The Stone Cottage which was met with confusion, albeit an unwavering determination to help. We spoke freely about the farming culture and local gossip within the village. Although the conversation further contextualised my understanding of how tales spread across the West Coast of Ireland, I felt no closer to locating the owner of The Stone Cottage.

The second dialogue was conducted with Paul Bailey, an Irish graphic designer, researcher and educator. Paul, originally from County Roscommon, shared a mutual understanding of the antiquated traditions of the rural West Coast of Ireland and related personally to the themes arising in my Positions through Essaying work.

The conversation initially focused on the notion of storytelling. Storytelling is irrefutably engrained into Irish tradition, culture and history. Paul introduced The Dúchas Project (2012), an archival project that catalogues and digitalises artefacts of Irish Folklore. There is a deep history of oral storytelling within Ireland, but efforts are being made to formally document these stories. This motivation is arguably due to the societal shift from analogue to digital, which threatens the existence of oral histories. 

Paul noted the political power that the Gaelic language holds. Historically, it would be been used as a tool to spread information secretly, as Gaelic was not understood by the British occupiers. The theme of distributing knowledge has implicitly arisen throughout my studio work. There is potential for a new line of enquiry that focuses the research towards social and political justice within traditions of storytelling.

Downtrodden and disheartened, I returned to the main, and only, street in Easkey village. I picked up a coffee and began to chat to the barista. I told her the story of The Stone Cottage and my research into the ancestral history of the local area; the farmers unhelpful advice and the yellow house past the school. When she asked to see a photograph of The Stone Cottage, she casually told me that The Stone Cottage belongs to her Grandma. With a sense of elation, I took the number of her Grandma and thanked the barista profusely. 

My faith in the interlaced network of relations in the West Coast of Ireland had been restored.

Throughout the dialogue, we approached the subject of my British-Irish identity and concerns about engaging with the social themes with sensitivity. Paul reassured that my position with the work had been acknowledged thoroughly, particularly in regards to the destruction of knowledge during the 1922 Fire that destroyed The Public Records Office of Ireland. The Centre for Research Architecture (2005) was introduced as a relevant reference demonstrating how design can be used as a form of research into social and political justice issues. Paul recommended retaining a forensic-like approach to the documentation of my research.

After a few brief text messages, we arranged a time to meet at her house. When I arrived at her home, the description of the yellow house past the school became apparent. I regretted the doubt I had felt towards the neighbouring farmer I had first spoken to. I knocked on the door and met Tina Lavelle.

We sat in her front room and spoke for hours. She wrapped me up in her imagination and took me into her world as she recounted stories of her childhood. The Stone Cottage came alive and, for the first time, I could actually envision it in its occupation.

Tina was interested in my research and provided clarity about the timeline of The Stone Cottage. As an outsider, the precise story of the building, its users and its history had always been shrouded in mystery. The Stone Cottage was built in 1901. The building had served a civic function and acted as the village shop. The room to the right of the main door was originally subdivided into two distinct spaces. The volume at the front was the shop and the room in the back was the kitchen. In 1973 Tina’s father extended the building, adding two extra rooms and a bathroom. At times there was up to 11 people living in the small homestead. Tina and her family left the property in 1985.

I thought I knew the building so well, yet as Tina spoke, I realised that I only knew of the place, not the memories that once made this derelict cottage somebody’s home.

Paul reiterated the relevance of using ‘place, memory and writing’ as critical lenses to examine the studio work (Perec, 1999). One institution that currently works across these three themes is Irish Architecture Foundation (2005). IAF explores how the built environment has shaped culture and community across Ireland through ‘festivals, exhibitions, learning and placemaking’ (Irish Architectural Foundation, 2005). This reference, provided by Paul, demonstrates the necessity of working across disciplines to gain a greater understanding of how place, memory and writing interact. 

My interest as a designer sits at the intersection of communication design and architecture. My work throughout the Positions module has focused on alternative forms of archiving; a method more commonly associated with communication design. The research into the history of The Stone Cottage could be strengthened if an architectural dimension is also introduced, explored and celebrated within my ongoing work. Paul highlighted that my professional and educational background in architecture offers a specific and unique position, which has become subdued over the course of the semester. Reframing my line of enquiry with a more critical architectural approach will offer new insight into how the history of the rural West Coast of Ireland is evidenced through changes in the built environment.

Tina recalled stories of rural electrification. Although constructed at the turn of the century, The Stone Cottage did not have electricity until 1955. The ESB rural electrification scheme saw a widespread roll out of electricity into homes across the country, slowly illuminating the most rural communities. Every home was given a provision of two bulbs and one socket. 

During rural electrification in Easkey there had been tension between one of the local farmers and the ESB workers. The poles were due to be erected in a straight line across this farmer’s land, which contained a monolithic stone structure. Tina recalled the farmer’s outrage. He stated that if the ESB workers continue with their original plans that the spirits that live among the ruins would be provoked.

In more recent years Tina has organised Rambling House evenings for the local community, attempting to reignite Irish traditions of oral storytelling. We discussed the importance of bringing together the people of Easkey as the mode of storytelling had fundamentally changed after electrification. Tina believed the desire to gather communally had been extinguished when the hearth turned into a radiator, and people became less reliant on spared space for warmth and entertainment. 

As I bid farewell to Tina we promised to stay in touch and she expressed that our conversation had given her a newfound yearning to keep the tradition of the Rambling House alive in Easkey.