11 Bun Sleibhe, Mullaghbawn, Newry, County Down, BT359TW
Traditional Arts Partnership – Trustee’s Annual Report 1[st] June 24 – 31[st] May 25
The Traditional Arts Partnership has enjoyed another very successful year. Our classes continue to grow with over 200 pupils attending our weekly classes in Traditional Music and song. We are delighted to see an increase in adult learners once again this year as this is something TAP has been promoting.
72 of our pupils sat their London College of music exams in Traditional Music in April with 100% passes - 42 Distinctions, 28 Merits and 2 passes.
Our new class of TAP Tots has proved to be very popular. This class offers an introduction to traditional music rhythms and instruments and the children and parents have all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Our young musicians continue to willingly volunteer their time to perform at a range of Community events. For example , community fundays, Iur Chinn Fleadh, tourism events with NMDDC and nursing home visits. Our U12 and 12-15 groups played in the Canal Court Hotel as part of Newry Bid. There was also the Cashel Crossroads Ceili in aid of the Zambian project and a session in Dromintee to raise funds for PIPS led by TAP Musicians.
We also enjoyed Team building activities at Watchtower adventures for our 12-15 group in June
Our musicians and singers also took part in the Armagh Fleadh in Mullaghbawn with many of them qualifying through to the Ulster fleadh which was held in Dromore, County Down. 2 of our musicians qualified through to the All-Ireland Fleadh in Wexford. We enjoyed a great few days together topped off with a second place for one of our young musicians in U18 Bodhran and 2nd place for one of our musicians in U18 Whistle.
15 of our young musicians took part in Scor na Nóg during the year. We enjoyed great success with Niamh Noade being crowned All Ireland Champion in Solo Singing. The Whitecross instrumental group were crowned Ulster Champions and were runners up at the All Ireland . We are so very proud of them and of all of our young singers and musicians who participated in Scor na Nóg this year.
Our harps and pipes continue to be utilised well and we now have 14 harp players and 8 pipes players. We have some new instruments – 7 flutes and donation of mandolin, banjo, 2 fiddles, 2 accordions and one bodhran.
We continued to welcome visiting groups to the area. The Ní Scolai family from Dublin delivered workshops in February followed by a session. We also welcomed Brid Harper Dermot Byrne and Jim Murray at the start of this month. They delivered workshops to musicians in the local area followed by a most enjoyable session which drew in musicians from all over the province.
A group of our young musicians spent 3 days down in Doolin, County Clare where they met up with the young musicians from Ballinspittle CCE. They had workshops, walks, swims and lots of music sessions.
Our Second Sunday Sessions continue each month in different venues in South Armagh and numbers have been growing once again for these sessions which now have a new generation of younger musicians coming through.
We are grateful to St Mary’s PS Mullaghbawn who continue to let us use the school for our weekly classes. Also, to St Patrick’s PS Crossmaglen, Lislea hall and shed for the use of their premises during the summer months.
Thank you also to parents who allow us to store sound equipment, chairs and the tents in their sheds and garages.
As we look with confidence to the future, we are growing each year and this bring so many positives but also some logistical challenges – the main one being that there are not enough rooms in the school for our classes on Thursday evenings. We will therefore review timetabling with the Committee during the Summer months.
We will need a premises of some description even if it’s a mobile to store equipment and will look into this in the next year.
Siobhan Downey
Alana Flynn
Siobhan Downey, Alana Flynn, (TAP Trustees)