Willow Lantern Workshop

Artist and Project Coordinator for Cecil Frances Alexander Celebrated, Sinéad Smyth, guided participants through the process of bending willow into tepee style, handheld lanterns and ways to decorate these with tissue paper.  These intergenerational workshops were free and open to all.  Families, parents, grandparents and guardians were encouraged to become involved.  Lantern designs focused on words and motifs from the works of Cecil Frances Alexander, using the descriptions of flowers, birds etc. from her songs and poems. 

These workshops were in preparation for our guided ‘All Souls Lantern Walk’ through the streets of Strabane on November 1^st which included short, shared events (stories, song and poems) at various venues along the way, relating to Cecil Frances Alexander.  This included Partick Street Graveyard, where children from the ‘School for the Deaf and Mute’ are buried.  The walk ended with seasonal refreshments for everyone at St. Patrick’s Hall.