Microforest IV | Winter 2022

During the winter cycle of the Microforest project, folklorist and artist Michael Fortune led a week-long series of intensive workshops at Blakestown Community School. Using digital tools, he helped students develop their storytelling and interview skills through audio recording and video editing.

In the first session, students collected plants and branches from the Microforest while learning about Irish plant folklore. They explored the mythology of the Blackthorn (Straif), a tree associated with dark secrets, the Cailleach, and the Morrigan, and Honeysuckle, believed to protect against evil spirits. Using their gathered materials, students created posters, crepe-paper flowers inspired by Traveller designs, seasonal headpieces, and St. Brigid’s crosses—documenting their work on phones.

Further sessions explored Christmas folklore. Students learned about Holly, associated with eternal life and protection; Ivy, known for healing properties; and the Christmas tree tradition, tracing its roots to 16th-century Germany. They also examined maps to connect folklore to specific places. Midweek, the focus shifted to digital content creation. Students downloaded editing apps, recorded field audio, and produced short videos by interviewing each other and documenting their creative process. They shared their work online, gaining skills in digital storytelling. The group also explored concepts of time and seasonality through the Calendar Cycle, learning about the 19-year Metonic cycle, the 28-year solar cycle, and the 15-year Indiction cycle—systems that align dates and weekdays over time.

To conclude, students created stop-motion and time-lapse videos around the Microforest and captured TikTok footage in the snow. Blending folklore, seasonal rituals, craft, and digital media, the workshops fostered creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper connection to nature.

The Seanchaí Microforest, located at Blakestown Community School, was created by artist Gareth Kennedy in collaboration with the Transition Year art class and their teacher, Mary Quinn. It offers students immersive, hands-on experiences in nature, encouraging learning around sustainability and climate action. The project aims to inspire young people to develop their own environmentally conscious initiatives. It is led by Kennedy in partnership with Fingal County Council Arts Office, Blakestown Community School, and The Arts Council of Ireland. Video by Arcade Film.

Michael Fortune is an artist working primarily in film and photography, with a practice rooted in collecting and documenting everyday life. Drawing on traditions of social documentary and anthropological film, his work often uses familiar formats like home video and snap photography. He holds a BA in Fine Art from LSAD and an MA in Film and Screenwriting from IADT. Fortune has received numerous awards and exhibits widely in Ireland and abroad. His collections are housed in libraries and universities across Europe and North America, and he regularly collaborates with the Folklore Department at University College Cork.