An Rinn Section Sketch Design

An Rinn Development Iso Sketch

An Rinn - Design Development Sketch

D1a Key View - Ballinacourty Lighthouse from Helvick

Identification of a site and brief for D1a

An Rinn is a small Irish speaking community in the South East of Ireland and is also known as Gaeltacht na nDéise in West Co. Waterford, Ireland. It is a small community overlooking Dungarvan and it has its own small harbour known as Helvick Pier. 

The East of Ireland has a very low number of Irish speaking communities in comparison to the West and North West of the Island of Ireland. An Rinn has its own linguistic dialect known as Gaoluinn na nDéise which is slowly disappearing due to a dilution of native speakers through families with little or no Irish moving to the area. The Irish language is extremely fragile in this region and Irish culture and tradition is also very much at risk. However, it is evident to any visitor to this Gaeltacht that the passion for Irish music, song, dance and language is still alive but its protection is paramount.

Gaeltacht is an Irish-language word for any primarily Irish-speaking region. This notion of a region defined by language is central to the exploration in the following project. The Gaeltacht was officially recognised in the 1920’s as a tool to protect, foster and ultimately restore the Irish language which is threatened by serious decline. The most recent census shows that the population of the Gaeltacht at Ring in 2016 was 1,784 people and represents 1.7% of total Gaeltacht population. The area occupies a land mass of 62km2 which represents 1% of total Gaeltacht area.

Language can not be preserved like an artefact in a museum nor can it be captured by the linguists who study it. Its must be kept alive by a community of people using it in its most profound and profane forms. This project will seek to keep the Irish language developing within this region through various methods that will become apparent as the project progresses.