Luke SprouleBBC News NI Mid Ulster reporter
BBC
Lucy Cushley says her work as a saddler connects her with previous generations
Lucy Cushley’s career began with a single request for some craftwork – now almost a decade later she is officially a master saddler and harness maker with the Society of Master Saddlers.
She makes items for horses as well as a wide range of leather goods – from wallets to belts and aprons.
She is one of many women across Northern Ireland working in what can broadly be termed “heritage” – this includes traditional crafts, restoration projects and community history.
Lucy, whose workshop is in Killinchy in County Down, said one of the things she loved about her craft was the connection to the past.
“A lot of the tools I use have existed for millennia nearly,” she said.
“For earliest man, leather was his textile and he knew it inside out.
“I would take great pride in the idea that if there’s ever a part of them where they are looking down at me, they’re seeing I’m still doing this – having that real connection with them.”
Lucy took up the craft while working with horses, when she was asked by an employer to make a sheepskin seat saver for his saddle.
It inspired her to train as a saddler and pursue a career in the field.
“Most of the saddlers that I would see on a regular basis are women,” she said.
“Craft doesn’t care what your gender is, where you’re from, how rich you are, your race, colour, creed – none of that matters to craft.
“The only thing craft cares about is your devotion to it.”
Women working in heritage are being highlighted in a new pilot project involving the Rural Community Network, NI Screen, Ulster University and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).
Those behind the project said it would give a platform and recognition to women who work in the heritage sector and who often go under the radar.
Emma McAleer was involved in starting the Women in Heritage pilot project
The pilot project, called Women in Heritage, began with a documentary about local historian Úna Walsh, from south Armagh.
The interview with Úna was recorded by archivist Lynsey Gillespie and will be available at PRONI.
It is hoped it will now expand to cover other women who work in heritage across Northern Ireland.
Emma McAleer from the Rural Community Network, based in Cookstown, said it was important to highlight the work of women like Úna.
“I’ve been working here for four or five years now and the work that’s happening in rural areas is at times predominantly led by women,” she said.
She worries that the volunteer-led work is not as valued as it should be.
Emma said while men also play an important role in preserving heritage, it was important to capture the experiences of a wide range of people.
“The main part women are playing in rural areas is protecting the social and cultural history,” she said.
“From creating oral history archives to making sure everybody within the community is involved.
“The more we diversify the groups that are exploring and protecting heritage, the stronger the archives and the projects are”.
Martina Byrne works on a project in Hilltown
Martina Byrne, who works in heritage in County Down, agrees.
She is the chairperson of Clonduff Development Enterprise, which is working on regenerating the former Church of Ireland in Hilltown.
She said heritage in Northern Ireland did not get enough attention compared to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
“There’s so much to celebrate here and so much to get involved with and when you focus on the heritage of a village you actually bring the village back to life,” she said.
Martina said this work can be a “catalyst” for both social and economic change in an area.
She said everyone needs to be at the table.
“It’s women and men, it’s older people, it’s younger people and it’s the people who are living here that are new communities to the area.
“You’re looking at what is your village going to be like tomorrow, what’s the future.”
Brónagh McAtasney was involved in the project through NI Screen
Brónagh McAtasney was involved in the Women in Heritage documentary through her role in the digital film archive at NI Screen.
The film, which was co-directed by Brónagh and filmmakers Laura Aguiar and Tara McKevitt, premiered in November.
While the archive goes back 120 years, she said there were gaps including a lack of women’s voices in the earlier years of filmmaking.
She said creating documentaries focusing on women in heritage was a way of helping to rectify this, allowing filmmakers to capture things such as oral history, traditional crafts and folklore.
“Women have been in the background keeping families together, keeping communities together, recording stories,” she said.
“They don’t see themselves as historians and they’ll say ‘oh my films aren’t all that interesting’ but with time and with insight and with what we know everything becomes really important so we want to get those stories.”
Having video skills means people “can have control over the story of what is told about their place and their lives,” she added.
