Windows into History

Ballyhaunis Community Council is awarded a Creative Mayo Community Grant to work with the genealogy group on a project titled, "Windows into History."

Before department stores and retail parks became popular, the local shop was the centre of commerce and community. Shop names were distinguished by the family name, with many family names particular to the locality and region. Some shops operated as a haberdashery and pub on the ground floor. Others operated as the local butcher or grocer. Many lived on floors above the place of work. All served as a place to gather and connect, with many residents using these premises to get local news, send telegrams to relations abroad, or make the novel telephone call.

This project builds on the series of lectures organised by the Community Council together with Mayo Genealogy Group and supported by Sunflower Charitable Foundation. Students who attend the lectures would be tasked to identify a shop or store front and research its history with a view of producing an exhibition of their work.

The students will be encouraged to apply their learnings from the lectures to research the family history, business development and growth and document any personal stories. Living relations could be interviews on camera to relay any important moments in the family's history, which would also serve as a record of the family and its contributions to local business and the community.

"We are delighted to receive this grant fund for our project," says Mark Godfrey, chairperson of the Ballyhaunis Community Council. "We have an enthusiastic group of people who attend the genealogy and history lectures in the community hall, which is a great outlet for many. Some have traveled all over Mayo to attend the lectures and exchange history and stories with other enthusiasts."

Tzyy Wang is the creative champion behind the project. An experienced content creator and marketer who has produced events in China and Ireland, she lends her expertise producing short films and content for the Community Council as well as Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns, Annagh Magazine, and the Language Cafe. She was also involved in the Mini Motion Picture Production project under the Creative Schools Programme and BCP Communities.

"There are many wonderful stories about towns and shops, which have served as community hub for decades," begins Tzyy. "This project is a hands-on opportunity for the genealogy group to put into practice what they have learned, while documenting history for future generations. We are fortunate to have a wealth of digital tools at our fingertips in this day and age, and I hope to demonstrate how they can apply them in producing something of artistic, cultural and heritage value."

The Creative Ireland Programme is an all-of-government initiative that places creativity at the centre of public policy. Mayo County Council has developed a five-year Culture and Creative Strategy (2023-2027), in association with Creative Ireland, to maximise opportunities for people to engage with culture, heritage and creativity.

Read more about the Creative Ireland projects in Mayo here.

Follow the Ballyhaunis Community Council Facebook page for updates on the project.

If you have an interest in joining this project, please contact us on ballyhauniscommunitycouncil@gmail.com.