What a brilliant weekend!! A group of ten of us traveled from Cork to join in with this festival under the name of Cork Community Voices….and what a fun time we had! Amazing workshop leaders and such a nice display of different choirs there! We especially enjoyed meeting and singing on the last night in the pub with the Ignite Gospel Choir from Galway!! Hopefully the first of many more visits to choir festivals.
What a fantastic day in Ballincollig with Ceol na Laoi, West Cork BIG SING!, Voices of Cork and the WestGate Choirs….WELL DONE EVERYONE!! And a big THANK YOU to all the support we had, with special thanks to: The Castle Gate Shopping Centre; Librabry, Nosh and Coffee, The Plaza Cafe, Ballincolig Business Association, Rugby Club; Dick O’Reily (photography), Catherine Hassett (Ballincollig Health and Wellbeing), Eoin Nash (Cope Foundation), Ballincollig branches of Downs and Quishes SuperValu stores and Dunne’s Store, and the fantastic team of women who helped getting ready for the big day from Ceol na Laoi….especially Elaine who helped to coordinate the event.
My next visit to Naas, Co. Kildare has now been confirmed for the weekend of 4th/5th November and will include an ‘Introduction to Leading Groups in Song’ Training Day on Saturday 4th from 10am-5pm. This day is aimed at anyone wishing to develop their skills in bringing singing into group work. On the Sunday we will have another Singing Workshop which will include exploring body percussion as well as discussion on the possibility of a BIG SING! event into the area next year!
In recognition of World Mental Health Month, Ceol na Laoi-Ballincolligs’ Community Choir, in collaboration with the West Cork Big Sing Project will be staging an event to celebrate and promote singing as an activity that enhances community well-being on Saturday 14th October .
Local community choirs will be performing in a number of venues around Ballincollig, providing an opportunity for the groups to share their songs and visibly demonstrate the benefits of participation to the wider community.
We are delighted to be hosting the Voices of Cork, the Westgate Choir and the West Cork BIG SING! Choir alongside Ceol na Laoi. The participating venues are: Castle West Shopping Centre (various times); Ballincollig Library (2.30pm and 3.30pm); Nosh and Coffee Cafe (4pm); and The Plaza Bistro in Times Square (2.30pm). These times are approximate and all the choirs will start off singing together at 2pm in Castle West Shopping Centre.
So whilst you are out and about in the town centre on the afternoon of Saturday 14th between 2-4.30pm, try and CATCH A CHOIR and enjoy some fabulous singing!
Here’s a Short video of my first visit to Naas working with a mixed group of around forty in this beautiful restored church. I met many singers, songwriters and community leaders during my two day stay and enjoyed the workshop sessions, as well as exploring the locality and a trip to the pub for some music in the evening. The concept of a BIG SING! project aiming to bring different groups together in the area proved to be popular and developing this potential with this community will be included into my next visit.
The video provides a quick glimpse of the variety of activities I can bring into a session, and includes facilitating topical discussions and networking.
Big thanks to John O’Neill for taking the time to produce this video, to Trina Hanlan from Connect Community Group for hosting (and her family for welcoming me into their home), and Kildare Co. Council for funding my visit.
I look forward to returning again soon.
Acapellabella will be singing for an evening concert on Friday 22nd September at 6pm. We will be encouraging as much participation from the audience as is willing for a few songs as we share a selection of uplifting songs from various backgrounds and cultures. A great night to be had for sure!!
To check out the full programme of the weekend click here:
https://www.drimoleaguesingingfestival.ie/culture-night-choral-concert
I am delighted to have been invited up to Kildare to work with those involved in bringing singers together in their local community in the Naas area. The workshops are open to new interest and are free!
After the great success of a few taster sessions with a group of guys earlier on this summer, the Roaring Water Boys (named after the bay) will be starting up for men to come together and enjoy singing in an informal and relaxed setting. We will be meeting upstairs in Rosies Bar, Ballydehob on Monday evenings from 8-10pm.
I am really looking forwards to more singing with these guys, which is a real change for me as I feel I have been leading all female groups for so long now.
All men in the area are welcomed to come along to have a listen to what we are up to.
The next West Cork BIG SING! event is well into it’s planning stages now as we prepare for a collaboration with Ceol na Laoi – Ballincolligs’ Community Choir, to mark Mental Health Week on Saturday 14th October. Local choirs with a focus on mental health and inclusive singing will be performing their songs for free in a number of venues around Ballincollig to promote singing as an inclusive activity for community wellbeing. Further information on the choirs and locations they can be heard in will be confirmed soon. To follow, the participating choirs will enjoy an evening of performing for each other and share in a BIG SING! together to close the day.
The next GraceNotes Vocal Performance Project will be working with the Clonakilty Jazz Collective to bring together a short set to perform at the Sunday Jazz Sessions in De Barras on 10th December which runs between 3-5pm at the Folk Club. Following an impromptu jam together at the Jazz Session earlier this summer we decided that we’d like the opportunity to share some more music together. This set will touch on blues and soul and will also feature another of my own compositions, ‘Shine a little Love’ which will be sung a-cappella.
Caz Jeffreys 