On World Curlew Day 2023 recently, as part of their ‘Wellness Through Nature: The Special Birds of Lough Erne’ project, the Lough Erne Landscape Partnership (LELP) hosted a Curlew Arts Cruise on Lower Lough Erne.

The April 21 event saw participants invited to board the Lady of the Lake to learn about the curlew and other breeding waders which live on the local RSPB Reserve islands, before beginning an art workshop led by Anna McGurn, of Boa Island, previously a finalist of Channel 4’s ‘The Great Pottery Throwdown’.

Made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland and Arts Council Northern Ireland, the Curlew Arts Cruise featured presentations from representatives of the RSPB, Curlew Life and the Lough Erne Wildfowlers Council, who talked about the endangered curlew species and the collaborative work they are doing to conserve and boost breeding numbers and raising awareness of what locals can do to aid this.

The Curlew Life project area includes RSPB’s most westerly reserve, the Lower Lough Erne Islands and more than 1,000 hectares in the Upper Lough Erne area under private ownership.

Supporting approximately 60 breeding pairs of curlew, it equates to up to a quarter of the Northern Ireland breeding curlew population, and around 20 per cent of the all-Ireland breeding population.

LELP’s ‘Wellness Through Nature: The Special Birds of Lough Erne’ project strives to highlight the importance of protecting the endangered curlew species as well as creating an artistic and valued connection between participants and Fermanagh’s stunning landscape.

Sketching while on the water, surrounded by the sound of curlews thriving in Lower Lough Erne, created an immersive and tranquil experience for the participants, providing an informative moment for all to share, while also helping to rekindle a love for art, inspired by Fermanagh’s unique scenery.