25-05-2025
Loneliness in rural life ‘under-examined' in artworks
Depictions of rural life in art often focus on the romantic, leaving the subject of loneliness under-examined, according to artist, Ronan Dillon.
The west coast-based artist, who was born in Dublin, conceived and directed 'Where do we all belong?', a socially engaged visual art project addressing loneliness in Co. Sligo.
In 2023, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre found that Ireland has the highest levels of loneliness in Europe, with over 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely most or all of the time compared to a 13 % average across the EU.
'Where do we all belong?' engages with communities in rural Sligo to create a visual art project that educates, entertains, and inspires meaningful connections and promotes social inclusion.
Ronan said: 'We are currently in the research stage of the project where we are engaging with communities in rural Sligo.
'Mobile vehicles are often used to provide services in rural areas, for example mobile shops, veg vans, library vans, and medical services.'
Bearing this provision of mobile services in mind, from May 19 -23, Ronan and his team travelled the county in a research van to consult with communities in rural Sligo collecting anonymous surveys, thoughts and anecdotes about people's experiences with loneliness.
The surveys are a short form of the University of California, Los Angelos (UCLA) loneliness scale, one of the most commonly used and trusted methods of measuring the condition.
Ronan said they also visited Ballymote mart for the art project.
'We got a huge engagement at the mart, and most farmers were delighted to share their experiences and thoughts about loneliness,' he said.
'One man said that he is 67-years-old and nobody had ever asked him has he ever been lonely before.
'We also chatted to the two ladies that run the mart canteen and they estimated that about 30% of the farmers live alone and that the mart is their main social calendar of the week.
'Everybody we meet seems quick to acknowledge that loneliness is a serious issue that needs to be addressed more and more, even if they themselves said they are not lonely.'
This research will inform a visual art project that will culminate in an exhibition at Noel Feeney's Abhainn studio in Enniscrone later this year.
Sligo native, Peter Martin, will create a documentary video accompanying the art project that will screen at the exhibition opening.
For those interested in participating in the survey, it can be accessed on the 'Where do we all belong?' website. The initiative is supported by the West Sligo Family Resource Centre.
