Ukes4Youth launched in Carrigallen, Leitrim

Ukes4Youth is Music Generation Leitrim’s cross border project for teenagers, which has been developed with partners Enniskillen Royal Grammar School and Carrigallen Vocational School under Leitrim County Council’s Peace IV programme. The programme, which involves over sixty teenagers from across the two counties, was launched last Saturday in Carrigallen by Cathaoirleach Sean McGowan.

Throughout the project the young people involved will have an opportunity to meet new friends and share in the learning of a new instrument, learn new songs and be introduced to bands and styles that perhaps they wouldn’t otherwise have considered. The programme involves a number of workshops over the coming months as well as performances in Leitrim and Fermanagh and a chance to record the work they’ve done.

Speaking at the launch Therese McCartin, Music Generation Leitrim Development Officer said: ‘The children and young people of Leitrim are very lucky to have Music Generation in the county at last. It is already creating wonderful and exciting opportunities to learn an instrument and engage in ensemble work in the county’.

In his speech Cathaoirleach Sean McGowan thanked the members of the Leitrim PEACE IV Partnership and acknowledged the capacity of cross-border projects like Ukes4Youth in helping young people to consider and develop trust and tolerance across communities in a fun and creative way.

The Leitrim PEACE IV Partnership was established in 2016 with €1.8 million in funding confirmed for peace building programmes in Leitrim. The programme is funded through the European Union, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. It is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and is designed to promote peace and reconciliation across Northern Ireland and the border counties.

Leitrim was one of nine new Music Education Partnerships selected to participate in Music Generation in September 2017 and since then has successfully begun to develop new programmes for children and young people in the county. Since its launch in September 2018, Music Generation Leitrim has rolled out the first of its Access Programmes, VocalWorks, to primary schools all across Leitrim, introducing children to music using the voice and a range of percussion instruments. Music Generation Leitrim Children’s Choir based in Carrick on Shannon in partnership with St. Georges Heritage Centre is also up and running and currently recruiting for new members aged between 7 – 12 years.

On foot of Ukes4Youth, ukulele programmes will soon be rolled out as part of the Access Programme in Leitrim primary schools, which will broaden the range of ages learning the instrument with the potential to develop a permanent Ukulele Orchestra in the future.

Music Generation Leitrim is part of Music Generation, Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, initiated by Music Network and co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships. Locally, Music Generation Leitrim is led by Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board, supported by Leitrim County Council.

For more information on Ukes4youth or any of Music Generation Leitrim’s work, contact:

Therese McCartin
T: 086 0453816
E: theresemccartin@msletb.ie
https://www.musicgenerationleitrim.com/