SONGLINES IN A VAN

Making connections through poetry & music

Songlines 2024: Tipperary & Mayo

Songlines engages those living with dementia and cognitive impairment through poetry and song. Participants discuss, read, and sing together favourite poems and songs from childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Facilitated by professional artists with extensive experience working in arts & health, these workshops endeavour to reveal memories associated with both artforms and result in the composition of new songs and poems by the artists and participants.

Songlines culminates in a special event performed from Festival in Van stage with the facilitators, clients, and staff; drawing in the audience through active participation via songs and poems discussed in the workshops and some requests along the way too.

Following a successful first year, Songlines returns with visits to four new care homes in two new counties in 2024. Stay tuned for more details of the care homes and artists we'll be working with this spring!

Songlines is proud to be funded by the Arts Council with support from Tipperary County Council, Mayo County Council, Réalta, and Poetry Ireland. 

Songlines 2023: Wexford & Waterford

‘… it took many the many days of practice to perfect a song (‘Four-Legged Friend’) to tune into the life experience of the participant who had worked in the UK with horses. While the song was full of tongue twisters it was worth the effort to reach the memories carried and amplify them and indeed honour them for the gentleman. This man visibly grew in emotional stature when the song was sung for him.’

Working together, artists Lani O’Hanlon and Liam Merriman (Waterford) and Margaret Galvin and Billy Roche (Wexford) collaborated with clients in care homes and day care centres in the South East of Ireland.

The tour visited Wexford on Wednesday 17 May and Waterford on Thursday 18 May. Three workshop sessions took place in Waterford at Care Choice Dungarvan & Dungarvan Community Hospital, and in Wexford at Grantstown Community Village & St John's Community Day Care Centre.

With gratitude to Marie Brett and Jane O’Hanlon, and all the staff and residents of the care homes and day care centres for their support of this very special Festival in a Van project.

Funded by the Arts Council, Waterford County Council, Wexford County Council, Waterford Healing Arts, and Poetry Ireland.

songlines Seminar 2023

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