Fantastic day on Sunday! Great to hear the brass and drums with the songs…getting excited for the big day!! Here’s a few photos. Thanks everyone.

Things are getting really exciting for us as we are heading into the last phase of preparing for our next BIG SING! event on Saturday 15th October for World Mental Health Week at the FeelGood Festival in Bantry. The programme of events for the day looks fantastic, with a parade before we kick off!

As well as adding Brass into our songs we have been working with a group of drummers lead by Jonathan Barlow to produce a sound which will get us all dancing and rocking on the square!!

There are two more public workshops…one this Thursday 6th in the Mealagh Valley Community Hall at 7.30pm and the other on Saturday 8th at the Bantry Christian Fellowship Hall at 3pm.

Next we pray for a dry day for Saturday the 15th…but not that it will put us off as we have the Parochial Hall at the side of Bantry Square at the ready so that we can sing away regardless of the weather.

COME ALONG AND JOIN US!!

We have now finalised our programme of ‘open’ community singing workshops which will be delivered in a variety of locations surrounding Bantry in preparation for the next BIG SING! event to be held at the FeelGood Festival on Saturday 15th October. Our thanks goes to Cork Mental Health Forum for their support through the part funding of these workshops. If anyone feels able to give us a hand with distributing posters and flyers in the areas they are located then please let us know! An extra hand or two would be very welcome! Private sessions are also available for groups by arrangement, so if you would like us to come to you location or group then get in touch. Please share this information and help us to gather a lovely large number of singers to enjoy our next BIG SING! Thanks and hope to sing with you at one of these places soon!

Our thanks go out to the Cork Mental Health Foundation and Cork ETB for their funding support for the delivery of workshop to various groups within the community, and also to the continued support of the West Cork Mental Health Services.

And also of course to that great team at the Clonakilty Wellness Committee, all the singers and choirs who participated and to YOU the public for coming along and joining us!!

After arriving at Emmet Square for 7.30am in order to secure a good parking spot, the rain looked to be setting in for the day and so the decision was made to re-locate our event to The Venue in O’Donovans Hotel. We set up in the covered beer garden, decorating the area with all things orange…balloons, banners and bunting.

Despite the weather around 200 people gathered for the event which proved to be a most beautiful and moving experience….with many hugs and tears towards the end. In fact when I said, “Oh we’re nearly at the end-what a shame”, someone called out, “Let’s start at the beginning again”!

Among those gathered were participants from workshops which had been delivered previous to the event to a number of local community groups to include: Co-Action, The COPE Foundation, Pine Lodge Asylum Seekers, both Clonakilty secondary schools, The Friday Club in Skibbereen and The National Learning Network – who also provided the addition of drumming along to some of the songs.

Additionally there were people from choirs and singing groups all around the area to include: Acapellabella from Ballydehob, Dunmanway Community Choir, Kinsale Voices, Ceol Na Laoi – Ballincollig Community Choir and the Sunshine Singers from Union Hall.

Prior to the BIG SING! was a performance from the West Cork Inclusive Dance Project along to music provided by The Happiness Ensemble. A beautiful concoction of movement, music and colourful shades of blue in which many individuals’ with special needs participated – including an individual in a wheelchair, who was obviously delighted with being a part of it.

We thank all those who helped to make the day so special..to include the Clonakilty Wellness Committee, Liam the Sound technician , the O’Donovan family for letting us use their wonderful venue which held us all so well, Lee for all the ‘hands on’ site assistance, all the drummers, singers and dancers…and all of you who helped in any way, be it tying up balloons or moving benches.

We are now preparing and exploring proposals for the next BIG SING! event which will be held in Bantry at the FeelGood Festival on Saturday 15th October. Please do get in touch if you would like to join in!!