Take Me to the River 2026: River_Systems_Magnify
Location: Dalgan Park & Skane River
Date: Saturday 16th May 2026
Time: 9:30am - 3pm
Price: Free, booking essential
Participants: Adults & teens 15+ accompanied by an adult
Click here to find out more about Take Me to the River.
Celebrating Biodiversity Week, explore the micro and macro life within the River Skane in Dalgan Park with leading specialists in the rehabilitation of river habitats for wildlife, and abstract artist Anna Marie Savage. Hear from Maureen Byrne and Robert Bergin of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) about their achievements locally to improve habitats for biodiversity. Experience biological sampling to measure water quality with Meath County Council Biodiversity Officer Ben Malone. Discover intricate, unseen ecosystems that exist in a single drop of river water, from delicate plant matter to microscopic life. Respond intuitively using experimental ink and collage techniques, to make the invisible visible, translating these magnified forms into expressive abstract artworks.
No artistic experience necessary, just a taste for exploration and environmental care.
Further details including meeting point and recommendations will be shared in the days leading up to the event.
Part of Solstice Arts Centre’s Take Me to the River 2026 programme, this event is supported by Meath County Council Biodiversity Office, the Heritage Council and Creative Ireland. The Biodiversity Officer Programme is supported nationally by the Heritage Council through the Ceangal initiative.
Facilitators:
Ben Malone is a Biodiversity Officer in Meath County Council. Hailing locally from Navan, Ben holds a BSc. in Biological Sciences from Maynooth University and a Joint International MSc. in Global Change: Ecosystem Science & Policy from UCD and University Giessen, Germany. He currently works throughout the county, carrying out conservation projects, developing policy, providing advice and information, raising awareness and collecting data on Meath's biodiversity. Prior to his role in Meath, Ben worked in a variety of scientific & public engagement positions, including a number of years in Waterford with the National Biodiversity Data Centre and more recently as a Community Water Officer with the Local Authority Waters Programme across counties Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.
Inland Fisheries Ireland is the agency that has the statutory responsibility for the protection, development, and management of Ireland's 74,000 km of rivers and streams together with 128,000 lake hectares. A coastal 12-mile jurisdictional limit is also included. Education and Outreach is an integral part of IFI’s work, engaging in a meaningful way with stakeholders, creating awareness of fish, fishing and their local environment. Through learning they promote conservation, sustainability and encourage environmental stewardship.
Anna Marie Savage is an Irish visual artist living in Omeath, Co. Louth. A Fine Art graduate of the University of Ulster, her practice is rooted in painting and drawing, informed by fieldwork, microscopy and site-based research. She investigates how landscape, memory and environmental change shape lived experience, often focusing on freshwater ecosystems affected by human activity. Analysing collected water samples under a microscope, she visually translates microscopic forms, movements and disruptions into abstract oil paintings and works on paper. This process allows scientific observation to become an intuitive, painterly language, making visible what is usually unseen. Her work sits between observation and interpretation, using painting as a means to reflect ecological vulnerability and environmental care.
In 2022 Savage collaborated in a three-year collaboration with Dr. Conor O’Reilly and University of Leeds on the Illicit Fuel Industry and Petro Culture on the borders of Mexico and Ireland Leeds University. In 2024 she worked on the cross-border project, Shifting Tides, and also within the Immersion project, both with Creative Ireland - Creative Climate Action Projects.