‘Bringing Art Home’ is an Arts for Health initiative that uses the postal service to connect artists with day care participants isolating at home during the COVID 19 pandemic, with each artist sharing their own specific creative expertise in music, poetry or visual arts to the project.

Composer and Violinist, Justin Grounds, took to the phone as well as letter writing for his part in ‘Bringing Art Home’ to share the hope that can come from reading, sharing and listening to poems. ‘Where Everything is Music’ is a series of favourite poems recorded from people’s homes with musical accompaniment.

03 - The Fox / An Maidrín Rua - Chosen and read by Nathalie Suchbury and Séan O'Súlleabháin

The Dunmanway Sessions is a collection of songs performed by residents at Dunmanway Community Hospital and Dunmanway Day Care between November 2022 and April 2023. Songs are sung acapella in English and Irish, and have been simply recorded without frills in the hospital and day care settings by contemporary folk artist Lewis Barfoot during Arts for Health weekly sessions. The songs are largely traditional folk songs from across Ireland, with many favorites including "Danny Boy” and “The Inchigeelagh Lass” which were learnt by the residents in their youth. The collection also includes a few stories behind the songs and the odd poem. 

This beautiful archive exists as a legacy of the aural heritage of unaccompanied singing across Ireland. The Dunmanway Sessions is available from 31 May 2024 to stream for free on the Arts for Health Soundcloud page. 

With special thanks to all the performers, healthcare staff, Anita O’Donavan, Siobhán Calnan, Eileen Crowley, musician Étáin Collins, along with the friends and relatives for their support.
 
The Dunmanway Sessions was recorded & compiled by Lewis Barfoot
Produced in collaboration with Arts for Health Partnership Programme
© & ℗ Unauthorised copying prohibited. All rights reserved 2024

20. Wild Mountain Thyme - Lewis Barfoot & Day Care

19. Home From The Sea - John Joe Crowley

18. Famous Kildorrery Town - Paddy Kelly

17. Goodbye Johnny Dear - Paddy Connolly

16. Lá an Dreoilín (The Wren) - Eileen Lucey, Paddy Connolly & Enda Cotter

15. Turning Turf & The Old Bog Road - Nora O’Mahony, Bridget McCarthy & Chrissie Hennigan

14. The Galway Shawl - Jim Fehily

13. Danny Boy - Tess Crowley

12. The Cottage By The Lee - Paddy Connolly

11. The Kerry Recruit - 'Jim' James O'Brien

10. The Tri Coloured Ribbon - Con Burns

9. The Road By The River - Paddy Connolly

8. Wrap The Green Flag Around Me Boys - John Joe Crowley

7. Ach, I Dunno - Enda Cotter

6. The Cliffs Of Dooneen - Eileen Crowley & Day Care

5. In An Irish Country Home - Paddy Kelly

4. Inchigeelah Lass - Eileen Lucey

3. Dreams Don't Come True - 'Jim' James O'Brien

2. Two Loves - Tess Crowley

1. Golden Jubilee - Paddy Connolly

Radio Dedication Hour promises to bring the 50's 'live radio' experience to several of West Cork's healthcare settings this year!

Singer songwriter Liz Clark is working collaboratively with older adults and staff to bring each personalised show to life. With 'ON AIR' light and old-time microphone in hand, Liz is visiting Schull, Castletownbere, Dunmanway, and Skibbereen Community Hospitals, as well as St. Joseph's unit at Bantry General Hospital.

Produced through Arts for Health Partnership Programme, this project supports Liz in a series of three weekly workshops at each healthcare settings to slowly introduce the ideas and collect contributions. These include creating live jingles and making old-time, location specific adverts. The project culminates with a real time recorded 'SHOW' at each setting. Musicians Kate Liddell or Ecki Krupp, and recording technician/musician Kevin McNally, will join Liz for each 'SHOW'. Together they will encourage all participants to get involved with interviews, dedications, music requests, and chats.

Here is the first Radio Dedication Hour, which took place in Schull Community Hospital in May 2024.

Radio Dedication Hour - Schull Community Hospital, May 2024

100th Birthday Celebration at Schull - Arts for Health Podcast

Radio Dedication Hour - St Josephs, Bantry General Hospital, August 2024

A discussion of Arts for Health art and Parkinson's disease research project A Dive in Line by project lead/visual artist Áine Rose Connell and mentor and musician/composer Justin Grounds.

A Dive in Line - Arts for Health Podcast

Radio Dedication Hour - Clonakilty Community Hospital, September 2024

Radio Dedication Hour - Castletownbere Community Hospital, October 2024

Radio Dedication Hour - Dunmanway Community Hospital, November 2024

On Country Roads is a piece of music created by Arts for Health participants at Dunmanway Community Hospital with Étáin Collins. It is inspired by a collection of stories told by the hospital residents around the theme of love for family, friends, and place.

On Country Roads is an Arts for Health Partnership Programme project.

On Country Roads

Radio Dedication Hour - Skibbereen Community Hospital, December 2024

She Sings Her Song In May - Dunmanway Day Care Centre, Spring/Summer 2024

West Cork Arts Centre

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