Moate's Heritage Warrior

Having always had a passion for the arts, our history and culture, Moate woman Constance Buccafurri is the spokeswoman for the Save Newgrange campaign, new group campaigning to ensure the maximum protection for the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, containing Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, in county Meath. The group says the sites are under threat from the N2 Slane Bypass and the N51 road developments. It recently handed in a submission to An Bord Pleanála in a bid to persuade the planning board to grant a 90-day extension to the public consultation period on the plans. Constance's love of the arts developed at a very early age when she got her first taste of the stage in Moate Primary School, with productions such as The Children of Lir, Christmas productions and St Patrick's Day parades. She later joined Dancezone and Moate Amateur Drama Group and this week described her time with these groups as "magical and inspiring". She said the people behind the groups were extremely supportive and gave her the self-confidence she later needed to chase her dreams, which brought her to prestigious schools of drama and dance in the United States. Constance mentioned, in particular, Sandra Julian, Peter Dolan and Veronica Edwards, saying they were an inspiration for her. "It instilled a good self-confidence in me to chase my dreams to the States," said Constance. While Constance was born in the States and spends time between there and Moate, she said she considers Moate home and said she believes there is a magic to the place. "Moate has a great community spirit. There's no divide in Moate. It's history is as a quaker settlement and quakers are a friendly society and I think that sense of community spirit remains. There's just a magic to the place." As a student of Moate Community School, Constance was a member of a group of art students that reached the 2003 finals of Coca Cola's 'Form and Fusion' competition, Millstreet, Cork, with a performance piece 'Boy Racer, Death Chaser'. After finishing her Leaving Cert, Constance attended Moate Business College for Performing Arts led by course director Mr John Hill and in May 2006 Constance moved to New York to pursue her passion in the arts. Since then Constance has trained in performing arts with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The New School of Dance NY and in method acting whilst also auditioning at The Juillard School in NewYork. She has also worked in film production and said she will be returning to Cannes this year to work in production. Constance is also spending time writing at the moment and said she would like to work in film in the future, as well as theatre, explaining that a dream for her would be to perform in The Importance of Being Earnest in the Abbey Theatre. She has a number of castings coming up in the next few months, both in Ireland and in the United States. Constance aspires to be involved in both theatre and film and said, having worked behind the scenes in film, she believes it is a great medium. "I'd hopefully like to work alongside some really good Irish directors. I think there's a huge pool of talent in Ireland," she said. And while she believes the Irish are a talented bunch in general, she believes Midlanders especially have a lot of potential. "I think there's an awful lot of creative talent untapped in the Midlands," she said, adding that the Midlands has produced many stars over the years, from Joe Dolan and Ray Lynam to Moate's own Foster and Allen, as well as Mullingar band The Blizzards. With such passion for the arts and a great interest in history and Irish culture, becoming involved in the Save Newgrange campaign was perfectly natural for Constance, who explained she had also been hugely supportive of the Tara campaign. Save Newgrange is a new group campaigning to ensure the maximum protection for the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, containing Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, in county Meath, which they say is under threat from the N2 Slane Bypass and the N51 road developments. Explaining her involvement with the group to the Westmeath Independent, Constance said: "It was out of personal interest. I thought Tara was a disgrace and I was fully supportive of the Tara campaign. I think it's very important to hold onto our heritage and culture. People in Ireland may not appreciate Newgrange, Tara or Celtic art, but Newgrange dates back further than the pyramids." She said Newgrange offered an important insight into a complex and intellectual society and said the Celts had inspired an awful lot of what still remains in modern Ireland. "We need to value the riches we have in life and we are rich in history," said Constance. The Moate woman said if the proposed bypass and developments go ahead in close proximity to Newgrange, it is in danger of losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which could have a detrimental impact on the protection and preservation of Newgrange. "We are saboteurs of our own culture and heritage. If past generations were good enough to leave it for us, we should leave it for future generations. Engrained in our society is a very self-depreciating nature. This is a hallmark of just how self-depreciating we are. What are we leaving for the next seven generations?" she queried. Constance is also quick to point out that this is not simply a local, or even a national campaign, but an international one. And while her passion for the campaign, and indeed for the wider world of the arts, is evident as Constance speaks, the Moate woman also has an interest in surfing and often travels to Sligo to surf. Constance also enjoys yoga and loves music. She is hugely grateful for all the support she has received in Moate over the years and this week thanked her family, friends and mentors who have inspired her throughout the years. ture and heritage.