Residents of County Clare aged 60 and over are invited to pick up instruments they used to play and start playing again with the help of Making Music in Clare, a traditional music teaching residency, a partnership between Music Network, glór and Clare Arts Office, supported by the Heritage Council.
The project is focused on helping participants return to playing an instrument and share the joy of group music-making. It provides participants with free tuition from professional musicians, access to instruments for the duration of the programme and opportunities to connect and learn with other budding musicians through traditional Irish music along the way.
Participants will receive tuition on fiddle, button accordion, concertina, bouzouki, guitar, banjo or mandolin with renowned musicians Maeve Donnelly (fiddle), Josephine Marsh (accordion/ concertina) and Eoin O’Neill (bouzouki/ guitar/ banjo/ mandolin).
Applications for the teaching residency, which will run from 11th June to 27th August 2025, are now open. Participants in the project will receive eight one-to-one lessons and three group lessons with others playing the same instrument. The project will conclude with three large ensemble sessions, where all participants will join together with the professional musicians to play music learned during the project. As well as playing together, participants will meet for coffee sessions and chats on wide-ranging musical topics and more.
Applicants must be aged 60 or over, resident in County Clare, and have some previous experience of playing music on one of the listed instruments. You don’t need to be able to read music to join in. The project will be based in glór in Ennis.
Director of glór Marie O’Byrne said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Music Network and Clare Arts Office to offer members of our community the chance to reconnect with traditional music. We are passionate about creating opportunities for people to engage with the arts, and this initiative invites participants a way to connect, share, and celebrate Clare’s rich musical heritage.”
Speaking about their support of the project Siobhan Mulcahy Clare County Arts Officer said: “Our involvement in the project stems from our ongoing commitment to enhance opportunities for older people to participate in the arts. Music is strongly associated with Clare and people and offers a gentle way into the arts full of pleasure, enjoyment and storytelling.”
Commenting on the announcement, CEO of Music Network Sharon Rollston said: “We’re thrilled to announce the call out for this our first Teaching Residency in partnership with glór and Clare Arts Office. Following on from our previous residencies in other areas of the country, we’re delighted to be able to give people in Clare the opportunity to rekindle their love of learning and playing music. We warmly welcome Maeve, Josephine and Eoin on board, who we’re confident will ably guide and inspire participants with their vast musical knowledge and expertise.”
Places on the residency are limited to 15. Priority will be given on a first come first served basis, however additional criteria used for selection include availability of teaching slots, geographical spread throughout the county and ability to partake in the full programme.
Participants must be available on all project dates; a full list of dates is available on Music Network’s website.
You can find out more about the project and apply to take part on www.musicnetwork.ie or by calling Sarah Ledwidge on 01 475 0224.
The closing date for applications for Making Music in Clare: The Music Network Teaching Residency is 2pm on Wednesday 28th May.
Making Music in Clare – The Music Network Teaching Residency is presented by Music Network in partnership with glór and Clare Arts Office, with support from the Heritage Council.
Music Network is Ireland’s national music touring and development organisation, founded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 1986.
For the past 38 years we have been making high quality live music accessible to communities throughout Ireland and helping musicians to develop fulfilling careers. Our vision is that of a culture which increasingly values live music in our everyday lives, embracing it as an essential part of a healthy, vibrant society.
We deliver a broad range of programmes including a National Touring Programme, Musician Residencies both here and abroad, learning and participation projects, The Music Capital Funding Scheme, commissioning, training Programmes and other professional development supports for musicians.