Wexford and Normandy’s shared heritage and legacy
This project will bring people together across County Wexford to explore our shared Anglo-Norman heritage, maritime connections, language, traditions and stories. Developed as part of the 2027 European Year of the Normans programme, the project will explore the strong historical and cultural links between Wexford and Normandy.
Community participation is at the heart of the project. Through conversations, workshops, storytelling, oral history, music, singing and creative activities, people of all ages will be invited to share memories, traditions and lived experiences. These contributions will help shape the creative process and the final installation.
The project will also explore the Yola language as an important part of Wexford's cultural heritage and its possible connections with Norman dialects, encouraging people to reflect on how language, place and the sea have carried stories and traditions across generations.
Image: artist Eleanor Duffin
Artist Eleanor Duffin will facilitate a collaborative, place-based creative process with communities across County Wexford. Stories, songs, sound recordings, film, text and objects gathered through community engagement will help shape a new installation reflecting the connections between people, place, culture and history. A short research residency in Normandy will inform the project, alongside research and a residency in Wexford, with the completed work presented in a public exhibition in autumn 2027.
If you would like to find out more about this arts commission and/ or get involved, contact
Wexford Arts Office
Tel: 053 9196369
or email arts@wexfordcoco.ie