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About Us

The Shaking Bog

Our Vision

Over time, as long as writing has existed, there’s been an ongoing relationship between literature and nature, profoundly connecting our inner imaginative world with the outer physical environment.

The Shaking Bog exists to highlight this burgeoning art form as a way of describing and nurturing the deep connectedness between nature and writing. But whilst literature, both poetry and prose, is its core concern, it also explores the narratives of other art forms - thereby presenting a rich and varied tapestry of engagement. This wider canvas varies from festival to festival and podcast to podcast, but can include; dramatic prose, the written scores of music, the visual language of art and the embodied narratives of dance, as they each respond to nature in their own individual yet universal ways. The aim is to offer different portals for people to enter into a deeper relationship with the world around them.

When I am among trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, daily.
Mary Oliver

A Sense of Place

The Shaking Bog, is ideally situated in County Wicklow and more specifically the Glencree Valley. It is an area known for both its natural beauty and as a source of creative inspiration and yet it is an area that has never before played host to any cultural events

The Shaking Bog Festival takes place at indoor and outdoor locations throughout the valley including; in fields and forests; on riverbanks and hillsides; in tents, churches and schools. Likewise, the podcast remains firmly rooted in the local landscape whilst reaching out to a wider vision of Irish landscape through a broad canvas of contributing artists.

Forests in Glencree Valley

Partnerships

The Shaking Bog could not exist without the generous support of its funders; Wicklow County Council, Wicklow County Council Arts Office, The Arts Council of Ireland, Wicklow Partnership’s LEADER, National Parks & Wildlife Services, Wicklow Heritage Department, Wicklow Uplands Council, Mermaid Arts Centre and Poetry Ireland.

We are also grateful for the support of our Creative Partners; Mermaid Arts Centre and Fighting Words.

A very special word of thanks to The Shaking Bog’s sponsors including; Coillte Nature, DRes Durkan Residential and King Tree Services.

Finally, we appreciate the support of our presenting partners including; Mermaid Arts Centre, St Patrick’s Church, Enniskerry, the Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation and the Glencree Society.

The Team

Catherine Nunes Festival director portrait

Catherine Nunes
Festival Director

Born and brought up in Trinidad & Tobago and now living in the Glencree Valley, County Wicklow. Catherine has extensive experience working at the highest level as a Curator and Creative Producer within the arts sector in Ireland, Britain and internationally.

Michelle  Hemming Festival manager portrait

Michelle Heming
Festival Manager

An accomplished administrative executive with a proven successful track record overseeing all areas of Office Management and Operations in small, medium and large organisations. An enthusiastic, responsible, and highly committed individual supporting clients as a freelance Arts Producer and Consultant.

2021 Festival Team

Festival Director Catherine Nunes
Festival Manager Michelle Heming
Production Manager Rob Usher
PR Consultant Cormac Kinsella
Volunteers Manager Natalie Hans
Social Media Consultant Darragh Doyle
Festival Co-ordinator Isabel Gilsenan
Designer Ronan McDonnell (A Worthy Cause)
Audio Visual Technology Noel Dicker (Dicker Tech)

Festival Board

Fionnuala Rogerson (Acting Chair), Niamh Darcy, Sean Love, Christine Magee, Anja Murray, Saskia Vermeulen, Frank Walsh

Special Thanks

Julie Kelleher (and the team at Mermaid), Niamh O’Donnell (Poetry Ireland), Nadette Foley, Naoimh McNamee, Pat Fleming, Sinéad Bolger (and the team in Glencree), Rev Cathy Hallissey, Mary Conroy (and St Patrick’s N.S.), Sara Bennett, Pierina Campbell (Fighting Words), Bríd nic Dhonncha (NUIG Galway), Cian de Buitléar, Fergal McLoughlin (and the Glencree Society), Ciarán Fallon (and Coillte Nature), the Goor family, Charlie King, Paddy King, Alan Gilsenan, Evelyn Murray, Jenny Sherwin, Melanie Corrigan, Nick & Kate Kenny (The Arch House), Tina Roche, Paul Donnelly, Hannah Hamilton, Bjorn Mac Giolla, Steve McGrath, Kieran Horgan, Holly Micklem, Kate Willis, Outer Limits, Kate ní Conrí, Katie Whelan, Georgina Flynn, all our wonderful volunteers, members of the local community, artists and friends – without your help this festival would not be possible.

Weathered tree stump in Wicklow Mountains
“For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

Wendell Berry

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presentation card for friendship pin
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Nature writing icon copyright Ronan McDonnell

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Arts Council Funded
Coillte nature logo
St Patricks church, enniskerry
The Glencree society
The arch house enniskerry