The Well Gathering
The Plots, Ballaghderreen
Part 1. Behind the Scenes
Dominic & Anna at Duff’s Well, The Plots, Ballaghaderreen. Photo Credit: Joanna Hopkins
‘The Well Gathering’.
The Well Gathering is a permanent public artwork and community engagement project by traditional stonemason Dominic Keogh and multidisciplinary artist Anna King.
Rooted in the living history of the Plots, the work invites renewed community exchange and gathering, while drawing on the site's deep historical and cultural significance.
Anna leads the research, writing, image-making and public engagement, while Dominic will hand-carve a stone artwork for the site using native Irish limestone.
The Plots and Spring Well form an intriguing part of Ballaghaderreen’s urban landscape.
Located in the backlands of Market Square, Pound Street and Barrack Street, the Plots form a unique arrangement of gardens, allotments and trees. A series of public paths run through the Plots, leading to a central Spring Well, a former water supply for residents (ref.1).
Responding to the symbolism of these pathways, The Well Gathering sculpture also reflects Ballaghaderreen’s wider geography; a place where North Roscommon, East Mayo and South Sligo converge, carrying an extraordinary depth of history.
The Plots Ordnance Survey. 2010. Source: www.geohive.ie
Meet Dominic and Anna
Our Reflective Diary
This diary is a living archive of the project in progress. It gathers fragments of research, reflections from the process, and a growing collection of images, sound and video. Taking the form of a diary, it traces how a public artwork emerges through time, conversation and encounter with place.
Snippets of what’s to come…
At the heart of this project is time spent together at Duff’s Well, where Anna and Dominic deepen their connection to the physical, symbolic and historical narratives embedded in the storied landscape of The Plots.
Ballaghaderreen carries an extraordinary depth of history. The Spring Well and the Plots are linked to key figures in Ballaghaderreen’s history, including the Dillon family, Anne Deane, a key figure in the Irish Land War, and Charles Strickland, whose influence shaped the town’s development.
For Anna, this living history is the project's driving force.
Anna is passionate about ensuring that heritage speaks beyond the past:
"In addition to showcasing Ireland's traditional hand carving tradition, this project highlights the importance of heritage spaces within local communities. It presents Ballaghaderreen as a place of cultural and historical significance, while exploring how heritage can remain meaningful in contemporary life, particularly for younger generations, through creative engagement and shared experience."
By bringing together sculpture, storytelling and community engagement, The Well Gathering complements the wider Plots Town Park development, funded through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund in partnership with Roscommon County Council and Creative Places Ballaghaderreen. The project sits within the broader initiative ‘Enabling the Potential of the Ballaghaderreen Plots’, which is transforming this historic backland into a living community resource.
Reference 1. The Plots Public Art Commission.
