Angela Forte (Ireland) – The Weir on the River Tolka, Dublin
The Tolka river runs through the Northside of Dublin city and is quite close to my home. It flows a very restricted course as it has to be confined within the urban landscape. This is rather ironic as the word “tolg” (Viking) and “an tulcha” (Irish) from which its name derives means “flood”. So it would appear that the true nature of this river is much broader than we now see and perhaps this explains my feeling of sadness as I tracked it through a manicured suburban landscape. The river is very quiet in this area, making no sound as it creeps along. It feels a little defeated and far too well behaved. So when I encountered the weirs, of which there are several, as the river runs downhill through the National Botanic Gardens towards the sea, I was delighted to encounter the noise and energy of white water. This became the main theme of my tapestry.