Gleann Cholm Cille's Oideas Gael joins international cooperation project

A newly-launched set of exciting digital resources, dubbed HEART, help educators bring heritage to life through art and music.

Oideas Gael, based in Gleann Cholm Cille, has provided Irish language courses and cultural activity holidays for adults in the Donegal Gaeltacht since 1984.

The HEART educator toolkit is the culmination of a two-year cooperation project carried by Oideas Gael and four other European partners - Kansalaisfoorumi and University of Eastern Finland, Finland; Asociatia Perseidele, Romania and Blue Beehive, Spain.

Teach Pobail an Spáinnigh, An Fhothair, Gleann Cholm Cille

All of the resources have been published in five languages, including Irish. As part of the project, members of the community in southwest Donegal worked to highlight a lesser-known aspect of their own local heritage.

HEART developed and tested a fresh model for teaching intangible cultural heritage (ICH), with the aim of producing new tools and resources for adult educators. The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003, underlines the invaluable role of ICH in maintaining cultural diversity and richness in the world. The project sought to explore these themes and situate them in a community-based art education context.

The educator toolkit created by the HEART project contains over 50 training units aimed at educators, community groups and anyone working in the heritage or community art fields. The toolkit units cover all aspects of implementing an art education programme with a heritage focus, discussing the background and questions around ICH, assisting with course planning and management, and providing a bank of practical, set-by-step exercises that can be used with participants.

HEART is a European cooperation partnership co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme. A key part of the project saw pilot studies taking place in four European countries, where an art educator worked with local community members and heritage practitioners. Through the work of the pilot groups, the project partners were able to develop and test a new ways of engaging with cultural heritage using community art education methods.

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The Irish study, overseen by Oideas Gael, involved an art educator and 12 participants working with renowned storyteller Eoghan Ó Curraighín of Teileann. Their work explored storytelling and a sense of place through the medium of Irish traditional music, bringing to life the story of Teach Pobail an Spáinnigh—two interconnected historical sites in the parishes of Cill Chartha and Gleann Cholm Cille. The results of the project are available to view on the HEART website.

Said Helen Diamond, musician and art educator for the Irish pilot project: “The HEART project was a fantastic experience. Through collaboration and transnational teamwork, we gained valuable tools for art and ICH education. I have already put these into practice within my own teaching and can see they will be invaluable going forward. Hearing from art educators working in different cultures and countries, and using different art forms, has greatly enriched the digital educator toolkit that is the main result of the project.”

Storyteller Eoghan Ó Curraighín was involved in the project

Another important aspect of the project was its innovative use of multimedia technologies in the interest of preserving heritage and creating an engaging experience for learners. Participants in the project were trained in the creation of immersive 360º videos and virtual exhibitions, among other techniques.

The educator toolkit and its associated website, was officially launched during an online international seminar on November 20. Some 60 participants attended the seminar, among them representatives of several national heritage agencies such as The Heritage Council in Ireland. Oideas Gael now hopes that as many educators as possible benefit from the tools provided by the HEART project.