SET along the beautiful Lough Lea walkway in the Knocks, the Kindred Arts Trail, which took place at the end of June, was a very emotive and poignant event, where people enjoyed an outdoor exhibition of artwork created through Sliabh Beagh Arts across 2020/2021.

Speaking about the event, Donna Bannon, Arts Co-ordinator at Sliabh Beagh Arts, said: “It was the first time we had openly gathered after lockdown and it symbolised hope in relation to returning to normality.

“Online workshop participants met in person for the first time and it was a real joy to see their collective efforts celebrated,” she added.

Comprising the Kindred Arts Trail, the stunning Lough Lea walkway was adorned with printworks, murals, willow works, wood sculptures, mandala mandolins, botanical collage, feltworks and much more.

Donna said that for Sliabh Beagh Arts, as an organisation, the trail represented their success in “maintaining artistic engagement throughout the pandemic”.

She continued: “It solidified the valuable impact we have on the rural communities of Sliabh Beagh. Many of the people described how special it was to hear live music, interact with others and for a short time, experience normality.

“Due to the event being spread over a large area, people felt comfortable, as social distancing was achievable.”

All of the Sliabh Beagh Arts workshops and the event itself was funded by The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and sponsored by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.