Schools make music in Irish festival

Around 750 primary school children from 25 Manchester schools took part in a two-day Irish music, song and dance event organised by Manchester Music Service at Manchester Town Hall.

It was part of the Manchester Irish Festival linked to St Patrick's Day and took place on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March.

Manchester Music Service teacher Gerry Smith, who died recently from cancer, had the two-day event dedicated to her.

Gerry, whose family came from Ireland, was 48 and lived in Bowdon. She continued to work from home co-ordinating music provision to schools for Manchester Music Service until a week before she died. Both days of the St. Patrick's Day-linked celebrations were dedicated to the memory of Gerry, who first initiated the project with Councillor Nigel Murphy.

Last October, former pupils of Gerry's organised a concert at St. Paul's RC High School, Newall Green, to celebrate her life.

On both days of the town hall event pupils took part in workshop sessions in the morning, based on traditional Irish culture.

In the afternoon all pupils took part in a traditional fleadh starting at 1.25pm, showing off their new musical and dancing skills with traditional Irish music provided by musicians from Manchester Music Service.

Pupils learned to play traditional Irish instruments including the bodhran, fiddle and tin whistle, learned some Irish dance steps and songs, as well as listening to some traditional Irish stories or learned about Celtic art.

Councillor Sheila Newman, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Children's Service, said: "It takes pupils outside the classroom for an enjoyable learning experience that gives them a chance to find out about and enjoy some of the livelier creative aspects of Irish culture. Manchester as a city owes a great deal to Irish people who came here to make new lives."

The days were funded by Manchester Irish Education Group, the Irish Youth Foundation and Manchester Music Service as part of this year's Manchester Irish Festival. After the 2006 events these groups were awarded the Irish Youth Foundation innovation award, which was presented at the Irish Embassy in London by the ambassador, David Cooney.

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