Join our mailing list
Wilderland has two websites, one always-on, higher resolution website that is heavier to run, and one experimental, situated site, that is solar powered, and in the Nephin Park
The solar site might not always be on or available, it also has other quirks, and will be slower. Adjust your expectactions for this Permacomputing + Small Web alternative.
Laura has created a large scale public sculpture, Teach Ialtóg, (Bat house), which functions primarily as a bat shelter. The sculpture is constructed from galvanised steel and reclaimed timber, from trees that had already been felled in Wild Nephin National park. The steel has been coiled to resemble root structures, such as the mycorrhizal network.
In early site visits, Laura met with Mary of Mayo Bat Rehab who very generously shared her knowledge and expertise of bat care. Laura facilitated an ideation workshop with Scoil Néifinn school in autumn 2024, the workshop started with a discussion on local bat sightings and the students had great observations of a variety of bat species around Nephin. Laura then shared some bat house designs from various bat conservation organisations both in Ireland and internationally with the group. The children designed really imaginative bat shelters, using charcoal ink and pencil. The workshop concluded with a lively discussion of each design, which ranged from secret leafy entrances to luxury bat hotels in the tree tops!
Elaine, along with Doireann from NPWS kindly guided Laura around the park and highlighted bat roosts and utilised the bat sonar devices. After consultation, the site at one of the bothys, Davitts, was decided as an ideal site of the sculpture, as bats are roosting in proximity. The sculpture is now embedded, with nearby mosses already growing atop the steel.
Laura would like to thank Elaine Harrington for her constant support and encouragement, to Doireann at NPWS for her support, to the entire NPWS technicians team for a dream install and so much support along the way, to Mary at Mayo Bat Rehab for all her amazing conservation and support work for the bats of Mayo, to all the students and staff at Scoil Néifinn for their wonderful ideas, to Stephen Brennan for timber processing, to Lar O ‘Toole for steel fabrication, and to Pat Jones for woodwork.
with:
Mayo Bat Rehab cares for sick and injured bats, providing for the bats’ needs and releasing them where they were found when they are able to sustain flight and survive in the wild.
Find out more about Mayo Bat Rehab and get in touch on their Facebook page