Islanders hit classical note with NCH team

CHILDREN are swapping the bodhrán for the bassoon and the tin whistle for the tuba as educators seek to bring classical music to the islands.

A team from the National Concert Hall have spent the last few days teaching 23 primary school kids and 11 play school infants on Inishbofin the niceties of classical music and dance.

The programme will culminate in the Galway islanders giving a grand performance in the island community centre tomorrow evening.

Inishbofin’s population of 180 is significantly less than the numbers that fill the 1,200 seats of the National Concert Hall, but the aim of the NCH education programme is to make the venue more national and to develop an interest in classical music among people of all ages.

Composer Michael Holohan, clarinettist Deirdre O’Leary and choreographer Caimin Collins have been busy since Wednesday preparing the young islanders. National Concert Hall education officer Lucy Champion said they are one of the best groups they have worked with as part of their outreach programme.

“They are incredibly musical children. There are some great fiddle players there and music has a very strong influence on them, they mustn’t watch much television,” she said.

The island is a half-hour ferry trip from Cleggan in north west Galway and has a strong tradition of céilí music and mythology. These will all come together with the theme of the sea in the work being put together for tomorrow evening. The visitors will also pay a trip to the nearby Inishturk today for a workshop with the smaller island’s 14 school children.

Inishbofin development manager Noel Schofield said local people were delighted at the idea of the NCH visit when it was suggested to them early last year.

“The kids are taking to it really well, a lot of them would have worked with traditional music before but we thought it would be good to have something different,” he said.

While it is the first time the National Concert Hall has brought its outreach programme to the islands, Inishbofin has previously enjoyed classical performances by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, guitarist John Feeley and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet.