‘Under the one roof’ by Jo Holmwood
A creative memory document of the Bush Hotel

Joe Dolan, Bush Hotel MD with Jo Holmwood. Photo Brian Farrell

On Thursday, 18 April 2013, we had a very special evening at the launch of  ‘Under the one roof’ by Jo Holmwood, ‘Artist in Residence’ at the Bush Hotel over a 6 month period.

‘Under the one roof’ is a book of historical fiction by playwright Jo Holmwood (edited by Dermot Healy) arising from her residency at the Bush Hotel as part of the Spark Residency Programme. Over the course of this six-month collaboration what has emerged is a document in which Holmwood sought to share snapshots of the hotel through fiction and fact: photographic documentation, creative interpretation and historical footnotes. The residency came at a time when the Bush Hotel sought to connect in a richer way with its own heritage and to develop a series of projects to present aspects of the hotel’s history to its visitors and the wider community.

Jo Holmwood, Writer and Theatre-maker, was awarded this residency as part of the Spark initiative developed by Leitrim County Council Arts Office and Leitrim County Enterprise Board with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland.  The programme is aimed at artists who are interested in working in new environments and companies who are interested in collaborating with artists and promoting creativity within their organisations.