Ruth Clinton and Niamh Moriarty
Losing Track

During Ruth Clinton and Niamh Moriarty’s many visits to Askeaton, they have adopted the local train station and disused railway line as a starting point in their creative escapades. In what they describe as ‘an apparent train of thought,’ they have explored locomotives in storytelling and film, the Shannon-Foynes Port Company’s VISION 2041 development plan (involving a new rail link to freight arriving from afar to Askeaton in Panamax shipping vessels), and local legends and attractions including the nearby Flying Boat Museum. Such dreams and encounters are seen in their video Losing Track, comprising a fanfiction account of American actor Kiefer Sutherland’s fateful visit to the town of Askeaton in 1992. Originally realised as an experimental performance piece, Clinton and Moriarty’s story tells of false idols, touristic fatigue and the threat of progress.