Drumshallon’s special occasion

DRUMSHALLON Forge will host a special afternoon of music and song on June 10th, as Catherine Anne Cullen will perform with young musicians from the area.

Catherine Anne Cullen is a poet, singer, short story writer and writer of children’s books, and is a native of Drogheda. Catherine has just completed a song composition and performance project entitled Songs for Our Children, which saw her work with eleven other traditional singers throughout the country in creating new songs suitable for children. Her participation in the project was supported by CreateLouth, the Arts Service of Louth County Council, and she will premiere the new songs with young people who themselves have been involved in a traditional music initiative at Drumshallon Forge.

Back in August 2017, Jacinta Dillon from the Drumshallon Forge Heritage Centre Committee made an application for CreateLouth funding to support a series of traditional music sessions at the Forge over the winter of 2017 /18, with the emphasis on the participation of young people learning music. Jacinta’s application was successful, and the six slow sessions attracted many young players and their parents to Drumshallon Forge each Sunday. The sessions were facilitated and led by Áine Dunne, Bríd Dunne, and Mick Dunne, fine musicians in their own right, and members of a very musical family from Ballymakenny. After finishing up earlier in the year, further support from CreateLouth was sought, and sessions are continuing for young players on the second Sunday of every month in Drumshallon Forge between 2 and 4pm.

County Arts Officer, Brian Harten continues, “Songs for Our Children arose out of the need for fresh, new songs to be created for children, and Catherine Anne was a perfect choice to be the Louth representative on the project. Part of the fruits of the project was that Catherine would bring her new songs back to the community, where she would deliver a workshop whereby children would learn and sing the new songs, and perhaps learn to play them. When the time came to find a suitable place and setting for this to happen, I rang Mick Dunne, who I knew had had a successful series in Drumshallon, and he said “yes” straightaway. It’s a very good link, as the young people in the Drumshallon sessions will play for Catherine Anne, and she, in turn, will teach them her new songs.”

Drumshallon Forge is a new community facility, built beside a very old forge. It provides a range of classes and activities for the community it serves, and is about five miles north of Drogheda. And on June 10th, its walls will resound to children playing traditional music and learning new songs. Drop in if you’re passing by.