Prolific author Geraldine O’Neill has recently published her latest book, ‘Towards Boland’s Lock’, which is part of a larger exhibition coming to Tullamore this summer.
This exhibition, called ‘Ceangal’ (or ‘Connections’ in English) is a large collaborative effort between local artists in Tullamore and its Sister City of Chandler in Arizona, USA.
Geraldine worked in conjunction with photographer Paul Moore, visual artist Siobhan McCormack, and filmmaker Evin O’Toole. Their corresponding team in Arizona included fibre artist Laurie Fagen, filmmaker Devon Hancock, writer Lynne Hartke and photographer, Robert Rice. Their joint goal was to capture the “uniqueness of their respective home towns through art, writing, film, and photos.” The exhibition that will showcase this project will be taking place in Esker Arts Centre, Tullamore from July 13 to August 24. The official opening of ‘Ceangal’ will be on July 26 at 7pm.
Both Geraldine and Paul were asked to contribute to the project by artist Siobhan McCormack.
“The idea was to do something to showcase Tullamore,” explained photographer Paul Moore. “To showcase the differences between the two communities as well. The American artists would capture the essence of Chandler”
“As we got closer to the exhibition, we also realised that to showcase Geraldine’s work properly, we could also do a book launch.”
During the exhibition, sections of Geraldine’s work will be displayed on the walls, but the book launch July 3 in Esker Arts Centre allowed for the whole book to have its moment in the sun.
“I was working on the book for over a year,” Geraldine explained. “I wrote on the landmarks of Tullamore – eight key landmarks in Tullamore.
“I set myself a task to do a piece on them for whatever came to my mind about them. I wrote short stories, though not all were that short, and some were 20,000 words or more! There were poems, haikus, interviews. There’s something for everybody.
“The books I’ve written before have been set in the 50s or during World War Two. But here I’ve gone from the 1870s to World War Two to the pandemic to present day. I’ve taken Tullamore through time.
“I did a lot of research. I went out to Charleville Castle on a number of occasions. One of the stories is on William Morris, the English designer, who was here for three months. I had to get that all very accurate.”
Geraldine revealed that she was in frequent contact with the American artists involved with the project as well: “We had lots of zoom calls and I also had individual calls to get information on Chandler.”
‘Pen-friend’, one of the poems in Geraldine’s book, centers around a pen-pal in Chandler, Arizona.
“I collaborated on this one with those in Arizona, to check that what I was writing was accurate. We had a few laughs about it. I had written ‘the glamorous houses’, for example, before being told that in Arizona the ranches were not that glamorous!”
Both Paul and Geraldine intend to travel to Arizona in spring next year for the return leg of the exhibition in Chandler.
Tullamore and Chandler first became Sister Cities in 2009. Offaly County Councillor Tony McCormack explained that “Sister Cities in an American organisation that fosters international connections. We focused on education, heritage, history, art, and economic ties.
“Strong connections have formed, especially through the Fire Service, Design Hub, and the longest running project the Sacred Heart School, creating many lifelong friendships over the past fifteen years.”
