Party Piece
NEXT PARTY PIECE: May 1st 11am 2025 Sherkin Island
Do you have a party piece? that one song or tune that you can pull out at a gathering that will get everyone singing along, tapping their feet, or lost in a reverie? Party Piece is a relaxed participatory music session for everyone, regardless of musical experience in which we help you to play the music that's close to your heart. Each week, the anchor musician will facilitate the learning (or remembering) of these tunes, and participants are encouraged to sing or bring any instrument they might have to contribute to the repertoire. At the end we will compile a songbook of all the favourite tunes, so you will never be stumped when asked for a party piece!
Party Piece was launched at Clonakilty International Guitar Festival Sep 2024 and West Cork Feelgood Festival October 2024. See below for details of past and upcoming activity
Party Piece is supported By Creative Ireland, Department of Culture Heritage and Gaeltacht, Cork ETB, Cork County Council and Music Alive
PARTY PIECE 2024:
Party Piece was launched at the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival and the West Cork Feel Good Festival in Autumn 2024, with a plethora of one of sessions and a residency in Clonakilty FET and Bridge Street Community Cafe. See below for footage from one of our sessions in Ballydehob.
Abair Amhrán continued to be a platform for sharing songs in Irish, with sessions in Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Cape Clear. See below for footage from our special Abair Amhrán coolaboration with the Vespertine Ensemble
More about Party Piece
Sound is a binding agent and we are all part of a commonage of sound. A community coming together to make music is a powerful way to assert our interdependence and develop a shared language of place and belonging. Party Piece, (and the Irish-language version 'Abair Amhrán) aims to make informal participatory music widespread, accessible and self-sustaining in the west Cork area. The main part of the project is a series of participatory open music sessions aimed at bringing non-professional musicians together to share tunes and songs. They will be hosted by an anchor musician who has the skill and repertoire to draw upon a wide range of genres and instruments. These sessions will take place in centres that already act as community hubs, and invitations will be extended to community groups to participate.
As music becomes more and more professionalised, the opportunities for making music have changed and the division between performer and audience has solidified. Party Piece aims to bring back the simple joy of taking part in a communal session outside of the normal settings of pubs or dedicated music venues. Over time, the participants will build up a repertoire of music that is relevant to the heritage and environment of the place in which the sessions take place. This will become the ‘songbook’ that sustains the practice after the anchor musician has moved on to the next community. The repertoire will emerge organically from the collaboration between different generations and socio-economics groups and so each songbook will be as unique as the individuals who contribute to it. We will partner with two local festivals – Clonakilty International Guitar Festival in September and West Cork Feelgood Festival in October - to act as showcases for the activities.
Abair Amhrán
Abair Amhrán (say a song) is the Irish-language cousin of Partty Piece, It is a relaxed, supportive environment in which to explore the deep tradition of Irish song and improve your Irish while doing it. Each session invites singers to share their Irish songs and learn new ones under the guidance of Eithne O’Mahony from the Muskerry Gaeltacht. From lullabies to worksongs to love songs, you’ll be surprised how much Irish you pick up on the way.