Midland Arts and Culture Magazine | SPRING 2013

More than €500,000 for
Offaly and Westmeath
to make music
John
Saunders
publishes
second
collection
of poetry
Ruairi Quinn TD, Kgomotso Ngwenya(Music Generation Laois), The Edge and Paul McGuinness
More than half a million euros has been awarded to counties Offaly and Westmeath in a partnership from
Music Generation Funding offered by U2 and the Irelands Funds.
Offaly and Westmeath have become the
latest counties to benefit from the Music
Generation programme. With Laois already
the recipients of funding from the previous
round of applications, the midland region
is now well and truly on the way to
providing music education for thousands
of school children.
In excess of 7,500 children and young
people in Offaly and Westmeath will now
have access to music tuition for the next
three years. Music Generation has awarded
€568,000 to the Offaly Westmeath
Music Education Partnership in the third
round of funding to help children and
young people avail of accessible vocal
and instrumental tuition in their
own locality.
This funding will be matched by financial
and in-kind supports from Offaly and
Westmeath County Councils in association
with Offaly and Westmeath VEC’s, Offaly
Local Development Company, Westmeath
Community Development Ltd, Offaly
and Westmeath Community and
Voluntary Fora, Comhairle na nÓg,
County Childcare Committees in
partnership with Athlone IT and Athlone
Education Centre.
The funding application was spearheaded
by the arts offices of Offaly and Westmeath
County Council under the guidance of
arts officers Sinead O’Reilly and
Catherine Kelly.
“We are thrilled with this significant
announcement which will provide an
important opportunity to harness the
great wealth of musical talent and
energy that exists in both Westmeath
and Offaly and will enable us to create
a strong regional partnership over the
next three years and beyond," enthused
Sinead O’Reilly.
In excess of 7,500
children and young
people in Offaly and
Westmeath will now
have access to music
tuition for the next
three years
Rosaleen Molloy, National Director of
Music Generation said: “We are
delighted to be working with Offaly
Westmeath Music Education
Partnership and look forward to the
exciting developments ahead for music
education in both counties. Music
Generation, which was initiated by Music
Network, has been enabled by a €7m
philanthropic donation – €5m from U2
and a further €2m which is currently
being raised by The Ireland Funds.
“Music Generation in partnership with
The American Ireland Funds... announced
earlier this year that it is the beneficiary
of a $1m grant from Bank of America
Merrill Lynch through the Bank of America
Charitable Foundation. The Bank of
America Charitable Foundation Grant
forms part of The American Ireland
Funds’ €2m fundraising target for the
programme. The entire €7m donation
represents the largest-ever single
philanthropic gift to music education in
Ireland in the history of the state.”
She added: “For Offaly and Westmeath,
this opportunity will provide access to
many different types of music education
for thousands of children and young
people who would otherwise not have
the chance of participation as well as
creating many job opportunities for
musicians over the next three years.”
Pat Gallagher, Offaly County Manager,
said: “This represents an important
addition to the range of arts programmes
already offered by Offaly County Council
as well as providing vital employment
opportunities for music practitioners
working across the region and we look
forward to working with our partners on
this exciting initiative.” M
About the project...
The project will have three distinct strands:
1. An Early Years Programme focused
on singing and based on the Kodály
teaching method aimed at 4–9 year olds.
2. ‘Play an Instrument’ Outreach
Programme aimed at over 9’s which
will extend the existing Westmeath VEC
Music instrumental scheme into Offaly.
3. The ‘Midlands: Music in our Lives’
Programme for all ages which will
comprise of a three-part developmental
intervention comprising workshops,
composer in residence & annual
showcase day, to interconnect the work
of the Music Education Partnership and
that of existing music providers.
For more information Contact
Westmeath Arts Office on 044-9332140
or arts@westmeathcoco.ie or Offaly Arts
Office on 057 9357400
arts@offalycoco.ie
County Offaly resident John
Saunders has just had his second
full collection of poetry published by
New Binary Press. The collection
entitled Chance deals with the
coincidences that shape our lives
such as the families we are born into
and the people we meet.
John’s first collection After the
Accident was published in 2010 by
Lapwing Press, Belfast. And, his poems
have appeared in Revival, The Moth
Magazine, Crannog, Prairie Schooner
Literary Journal (Nebraska), Sharp
Review, The Stony Thursday Book, Boyne
Berries, The New Binary Press Anthology
of Poetry, Volume 1, Riposte, and on
line, The Smoking Poet, Minus Nine
Squared, The First Cut, The Weary
Blues, Burning Bush 2, Weekenders,
Poetry Bus and poetry 24.
John is one of three featured poets in
Measuring, Dedalus New Writers
published by Dedalus Press in May
2012. He is a graduate of the Faber
Becoming a Poet 2010 course and
since then has been a member of the
Hibernian writers group.
what the critics say...
“John Saunders writes in
Chance of 'secrets' among 'the
shadow of waste' with a formal
control and fortitude. There are
poems here which share a
sympathy with the past, its
scars and with people who
‘know that tears are only the
indulgence / of those who
haven't suffered enough.’
Saunders’ poems ‘stand
against the pull of the
undertow’ with a moral integrity
and an authority all his own.”
Paul Perry, author and editor of a
number of critically acclaimed books
including The Drowning of the Saints
and Goldsmith’s Ghost. M
Chance is now available in Kindle or
Paperback from Newbinarypress.com.
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