www.itma.ie/inishowen

In 2015, the Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle (ITSC) is taking to the road to promote its flagship Inishowen Song Project (ISP), a collaborative digital venture with the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Freely available online are recordings of 250+ singers and 600+ songs from the Inishowen Peninsula, Co. Donegal and visitors to the annual Singing Weekend.

By logging on, users can listen to recordings, watch videos, read and download song words. There are short notes about each singer with photographs and details of where and when they were recorded. The ISP has captured a community who have kept singing as part of their lives and the 2015 tour wishes to share this with students and anyone with an interest in traditional singing.

During the tour, Grace Toland will present a multimedia guide to the Project, featuring selected singers & songs and it will be accompanied by live performances by Kevin McGonigle, Jim MacFarland & Grace herself. There will be an opportunity to discuss the Project and how it can be used by students, singers & the general public for pure pleasure and also as a source for learning and teaching songs. As singing is at the heart of the Project, ITSC and local singers will host a singing session to finish the day.

Tour dates/venues are: February 18th 2015, Irish Traditional Music Archive & The Night Before Larry Got Stretched, the Cobblestone;

February 19th, Dundalk Institute of Technology & Dundalk Singers Circle; February 24th, NUI Galway & The Crane Bar; February 25th, Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, Limerick, and March 5th 2015, University of Ulster at Magee & Derry Traditional Singers Circle.

This tour has been made possible by funding from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. All events are free.

For further information please contact Grace Toland at Tel: +087 2903799 and the Project online at the website www.itma.ie/inishowen