Cork Folklore Project

13/03/2026

A treat for anyone in the Cork area... Béaloideas/Folklore, UCC have persuaded the filmmaker Antony Donoghue to join us for a screening and talk on his work in animation and traditional furniture. It's not going to be streamed or recorded, but all are welcome to join us in University College Cork on 19 March; details below. Bring your friend and your granny.

Image from Tony Donoghue.

Screening and conversation with filmmaker Tony Donoghue, on one person's 30-year effort to understand his parish … using photography, interviews and animation.

UCC’s Folklore Society and Béaloideas agus Eitneolaíocht / Folklore and Ethnology invite you to an evening of film and conversation with filmmaker Tony Donoghue.

March 19 2026, 6-7.30pm, Boole Lecture Theatre 1, UCC.

Tony Donoghue moved into filmmaking after working as a biologist at the Ecological Parks Trust and the Natural History Museum in London, England. He now uses film and animation to explore rural traditions. Tony is a champion of the study, appreciation and retention of everyday items in rural Ireland. He has curated exhibitions at the Ploughing Championship, the RDS, the ARK (Children's Cultural Centre and his local national school.
His 2008 animated documentary ‘A Film From My Parish - 6 Farms’ played at over 100 film festivals in 40 countries and is still used in schools in France.
His 2012 short film ‘Irish Folk Furniture’ has played at 280 film festivals in 80 countries. A link to the film is here: https://shorts.screenireland.ie/films/irish-folk-furniture
Tony’s approach to filmmaking holds sustainability at its core: minimum intervention and disturbance are central, images are captured using natural light on still cameras, and much of the filming is carried out within a few miles’ radius of Tony’s home in Tipperary. A remarkable element of the filmmaking is Tony’s ability to amplify the character of ordinary objects, bringing ‘ordinary things’, and the skills, memories and meanings embodied in them, to life on screen.

24/02/2026

Tonight - Drimoleague Parish Hall, West Cork - Starting at 7.00pm - All welcome!

West Cork Oral Heritage is pleased to inform you that Tomás MacConmara (probably Ireland's foremost authority on oral history) will facilitate a workshop in Drimoleague on Tuesday 24 February, which is sure to be beneficial to all who have an interest in saving our oral history. Details in poster.
Click on link for a message from Tomás: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4NQi-V-ygk

14/01/2026

Meet Marie Wilcox, the woman behind one of the most significant language preservation efforts of the modern era. Her work stands as a rare example of how individual determination can safeguard cultural heritage when institutional support is absent.

Marie Wilcox was the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni, a Yokuts language once spoken across regions of California. As the language gradually disappeared from daily life, she made a deliberate choice not to allow it to vanish unrecorded. At the age of 82, without formal training in linguistics, she taught herself to use a computer and began the painstaking task of documenting the language she carried in memory.

For seven years, she worked independently, recording vocabulary and meanings one entry at a time. Each word preserved more than linguistic structure; it carried history, humor, cultural values, and ways of understanding the natural world. Her dictionary became not only a scholarly resource but also a stand against cultural loss.
Marie Wilcox’s legacy challenges the assumption that languages fade because they lack relevance or strength. Instead, her story reveals that languages disappear when their speakers are marginalized and unheard. In preserving Wukchumni, she demonstrated that cultural survival can depend on a single person’s refusal to let their words be forgotten.

Her work ensures that Wukchumni endures beyond its last fluent speaker, offering future generations a bridge to a worldview that might otherwise have been lost forever.
https://www.facebook.com/61578600365518/posts/pfbid02hX8JwBDWP44EssmNRj1ZY8MCfdmVFV9LqFDstTYkgWt1mEUZKSEL3k4j4Uj2nmsCl/

13/01/2026

Remembering Seán Ó Sé, 1936–2026

The Cork Folklore Project mourns the loss of Seán Ó Sé, the celebrated Irish tenor and retired teacher from County Cork, whose voice and artistry brought the songs of our communities to life. The Cork Folklore Project first recorded Seán in November 1998, soon after our foundation and over the years, he remained supportive and positive towards our work.

Seán dedicated much of his life to both education and the preservation of Irish musical tradition. He served generations of students in schools across Wicklow and Cork, nurturing a love for language, song, and culture.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

05/01/2026

Happy New Year from the Cork Folklore Project 🎉
2026 = 30 years of the CFP 🙌

04/12/2025

The Annual Christmas Event of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society will take place next Wednesday night at 7pm in UCC's Dora Allman Room in UCC.

This event includes a a presentation by Dr Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, Head of the Department of Folklore and Ethnology, UCC and a great supporter of the Cork Folklore Project. Ciarán's presentation is entitled ‘Munster Traditions associated with Christmas’.

Cost €20. Attendance needs to be booked by registering here: https://corkhist.ie/christmas-lecture/

02/12/2025

‘Meeting People Where They Are’: 50 Years of Community Work

The Cork Folklore Project is proud to help document the 50-year legacy of the Cork North Community Work Department (HSE). On 1 December, we recorded the first in a new interview series with Ronnie Dorney and Mags Creed, capturing their experiences in community work, their commitment to social justice, and the challenges faced in Cork over the decades.

More stories to come as we mark this important anniversary.



Below left to Right: Ronnie Dorney, Tomás Mac Conmara and Mags Creeds following their oral history recording in December 2025.

19/10/2025

We were asked to share this promotion of a very interesting talk on Friday 24th in Mitchelstown - Should be a great evening.

03/09/2025

In a recording made on 03 September 2019 by the Cork Folklore Project, Joan O'Keefe (nee Harrington) recalls where she was 80 years earlier to the day, when it was announcted that Britain was at war with Germany. Joan passed away in February 2024 at the age of 104.

In a recording made on 03 September 2019 by the Cork Folklore Project, Joan O'Keefe (nee Harrington) recalls where she was 80 years earlier to the day, when ...

02/09/2025

Cork Folklore Project Staff and Volunteers showcasing some of our new recording ecquipment, purchased with fuinding under The Heritage Council Stewardship Fund 2025 - as part of our Cork Listeners Collective Volunteer Initiative.

If you are interesting in volunteering to become a collector with the Cork Folklore Project, message here or email [email protected]

20/08/2025

Cork Folklore Project at Civic Trust House for Heritage Week 2025 for our Cork Listener's Collective Event, with the support of The Heritage Council