Ancient Connections, a three year arts, heritage and tourism project linking North Pembrokeshire and North Wexford, is pleased to announced the appointments of two artists in residence who will be exploring the shared past of these regions alongside archaeologists, historians and local communities.

The artists will produce new artworks over the next two years, inspired by archaeological excavations, geophysical surveys and community story searches in Pembrokeshire and Wexford; with a final public showing of the work in both places in Spring 2022.

The artist selected for Pembrokeshire is Fern Thomas; she is based in Swansea and has a long track-record working with communities. Fern plans to create a radio station and a series of 16 podcasts that follow the progress of the Ancient Connections project. The radio station will be broadcast from a fictional island in the Irish Sea: ‘A shared place for culture, history, dreams, poetry and song from all time to live alongside each other’ Fern describes this as:

‘An island where St David can sit alongside the three young men from Wexford in their borrowed canoe; where the fire of Boia’s hill fort or the mermaids off Porth y Rhaw are as present as the eroding sand at Whitesands Bay. A place where the past and the future are simultaneously considered’.

The artist selected for Wexford is David Begley, an experienced multimedia artist. David invites us all to: ‘Wonder this: before St Aidan arrived and The Normans later, what drew the ancients to Ferns [Wexford] in the first place? Was it chance Tom Breen’s plough unearthed the first relic at Clone which led us to poke holes in the turf and speculate? Who lay the first seed? What made the first tribe put down roots, leaving charcoal and ceramic in their wake?’

David proposes to make a video documentary on the history of farming in Ferns, facilitate a 12 week visual arts, storytelling and gardening project with St Edan’s National School, Ferns and produce a new body of work in drawing, print, painting, ceramic and writing.

It is also hoped that the two artists will find ways to collaborate together and learn from each other’s journeys.

Ancient Connections Project Officer, Ruth Jones says: ‘We are very lucky to have engaged two very experienced artists in these roles who both have a strong background in community and social engagement.

‘We feel sure that these artists will make a valuable contribution to the project aims of encouraging our local communities to take ownership of and celebrate their own cultural past, welcome new visitors and bring these two regions closer together.’

Ancient Connections is led by Pembrokeshire County Council, together with partners Wexford County Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Visit Wexford funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales co-operation programme