Donegal News columnist Paul Bradley caught up with Eamonn Bonner this week. They spoke about the important role arts and traditional crafts still play in a social media world.
Hi Eamonn, thanks for doing this interview. Could you tell us a bit about yourself, please?
I was born in Burtonport and growing up there gave me a great love for the sea and coastal life.
I started writing pieces for a local magazine called the Rosses Review when I was at secondary school and won a silver cup as a teenager for a writing competition – the first trophy I ever won, and I still have it on my hall table. I got ‘hooked’ then and have been writing ever since.
You seem to be a very busy man, including working as manager in the Donegal Volunteer Centre. What does the DVC do exactly?
There is a Volunteer Centre in every county in Ireland, funded by the Department of Rural Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and hosted and based in the local DLDC office in Letterkenny. The aim is to provide a national framework where people can access volunteering opportunities in their local area. Our job is to Recruit, Place and Support Volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations across the whole of Donegal.
There are three of us employed fulltime, involved with St Patrick’s Day Parades, Marathons, Arts events and Festivals, Charity Shops and with organisations like ALONE and Tidy Towns where we help coordinate volunteer helpers for all types of events.
We’re always looking to help people find a role that’s meaningful for them to volunteer in locally, and to help organisations who need volunteers and other services like Garda Vetting and Events Management. We also host an annual awards ceremony recognising the work done by individuals and groups around Donegal. The range of work done by volunteers and groups in Donegal is staggering – we really do help each other in this county.
It seems to cover a huge range of jobs and industries – does that make it easier or more intimidating?
Finding the right role for each person is a challenge. Donegal is a massive county – Malin Head to Bundoran is quite a journey and still within the county – and it has people living in urban and rural areas and on islands.
That said, we have a long-standing reputation for being creative and have learned from Covid 19 that many roles can be done from home or part time – like knitting for the Team Hope Christmas Shoe Box appeal – so there are many ways to help out if you have time to spare.
You also describe yourself as a weekend photographer and poet. What does a busy weekend day look like for you?
The volunteer centre team have to work many weekends and public holidays – so any chance of a good weather day over a weekend is usually grabbed.
Early-starter photographers can be at a lighthouse or beach somewhere when it’s getting bright and if there’s another photographer or artist there we often share a flask of coffee ( I always have shortbread with me) so there’s a great camaraderie in the outdoors people.
Have you found a sweet spot for both interests in selling cards featuring your photography?
Yes the Donegal-themed greeting cards are perfect for me. It’s somewhere I can use my writing and photography together.
On the front of the cards, I have a local scene and on the back there is usually a short poem about the theme of the photograph or area. It’s probably a lazy thing in a way – but it is easier in that the cards are small, so I don’t have to write a lot!
For a long time you were the face of Northwest Words and local poetry. Nothing has quite replaced it since it ended – is it something that could come back, or were the personal and financial burdens just too much?
Ah, North West Words – it ran for over ten years and stopped because of Covid 19 restrictions. We had a monthly Arts event in Café Blend and later Florence where poets, writers, artists and musicians could all attend and launch their work. We had writing competitons sponsored by Avivo for both adults and children and a regular Arts magazine – we had a great team of people who worked tirelessly in the organisation over the years to promote the Arts in the Northwest, and all credit to them for their selfless work.
From running the project it became clear that Donegal is teeming with talent in all arts genres – it has so many wonderful creative people. It was an honour to work with many of them and I hope that they continue on their creative journey. Letterkenny local Paul Murray has started a Letterkenny Creatives Collective last year, so hopefully it will grow and become a platform for the Arts in the Northwest.
I did spot a little activity on the Northwest Words FB page not long ago…is that still useful to have?
It’s something we did not dismantle when we were closing up North West Words as it was a great form of connecting like-minded creative people – we left it there for events or information to be posted by and for anyone still connected to it.
You also work with Donegal Craft makers, keeping old crafts alive.
I met Designer Laura Buchanan, print maker Ciaran Boyce and wood craftsman Martin Clinton years ago at a Local Enterprise Office Craft Training session – we have worked together as a creative team since.We have been running Craft fairs with events manager Shannon Whelan, promoting the best of local-made products by local people.We usually have around 30 35 crafters promoting their products and the quality and range of the items they make is superb – we are delighted to have this opportunity to work together and help a local charity at each event. At our 2025 christmas craft fair in the Silver Tassie Hotel our chosen charity was Donegal Irish Guide Dogs who brought along an information stand on the day, held a raffle and of course brought some very popular Labradors to the event. The Craft community helped to raise €600 for this organisation on the day – a win win situation for everyone.
Has social media been helpful in building a living community and market for traditional crafts?
Social media is an important connector for all us us in this age – and the crafts community are using it as best they can. It can get information out to many potential customers, can sell on-line to people in any part of the country or the world. But, in terms of interaction, the personal touch is hard to beat when it comes to the crafts industry – it is hard to beat the sense of touch, the smell of wool or tweeds or handmade soaps – that tactile feeling of running your hand along a wooden item or standing close enough to see the brush strokes of a painting.
Do you have any other plans for the future? A little time off, perhaps?
I have a very busy head: lots of plans and ideas bubbling away in there, always asking can we try this or what about this .. I’m probably very annoying for those around me. I am nearly at the age to retire but can’t see myself stopping being a creative person or taking up golf or something – so I’ll keep at it for as long as I can.
Is there anything else you’d like to raise (anything at all – the floor is yours)?
Donegal is such a beautiful place to live, we are blessed with beautiful beaches and scenery. If I had one wish it would be that people could get out more to explore it, experience it and to enjoy it.
