Songs of Our Place is an intergenerational community songwriting project that brings people together to explore the unique character of where they live through original song. Working with schools, community groups and local organisations, participants collaborate to create songs that celebrate local history, shared experiences and a sense of belonging.
The pilot programme was delivered in partnership with the Watergate Theatre and fully funded by the theatre. Taking place across County Kilkenny, the project brought together five primary schools, five secondary schools, an Age Friendly group, a youth centre and the South Kilkenny Historical Society. Participants of all ages explored what makes their communities unique, creating original songs inspired by local stories, memories, landmarks and the people who call the county home.
The project resulted in a diverse collection of original songs, including school anthems, songs celebrating local heritage and a specially commissioned anthem marking the 20th anniversary of the South Kilkenny Historical Society. The Age Friendly Kilkenny participants have already performed their song at a community gathering, demonstrating how the music continues to bring people together beyond the workshops. Every group created a unique song that celebrates the people, places and stories that make their community special.
Designed to be delivered in villages, towns, cities and counties across Ireland, Songs of Our Place offers communities a meaningful opportunity to celebrate their identity through creativity, collaboration and shared storytelling. Every project is shaped by the voices, experiences and stories of the people who take part, resulting in original songs that create a lasting legacy for the communities they represent.
Discover more about Songs of Our Place through this live radio interview with Brian Redmond on KCLR, where Luan explains the vision behind the project and how the songs were created, while Joanna Cunningham, Director of the Watergate Theatre, and a participating primary school teacher share their perspectives on its impact. The interview concludes with a live performance of one of the project’s original school anthems by the students and their teacher.
“Luan was a joy to work with. Her methods and style allowed everyone to participate, regardless of musical ability. She connected with the group, made every contribution feel valued and inspired us to believe that something special could be achieved. I’m proud to have been part of creating what will become our Society’s anthem.”
Eddie Synnott, South Kilkenny Historical Society
“The workshops were engaging, inspiring and incredibly well structured. Students gained a real understanding of songwriting while having so much fun in the process. They were absolutely over the moon with the school anthem they created and felt such pride in what they had achieved together. We would absolutely love to be part of this programme again and cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Cormac Harraghy, St Michael’s National School, Danesfort
Luan made us all feel welcome and appreciated from the very beginning. She encouraged everyone to share their ideas and showed us that songwriting is easier than it seems because ‘there’s no wrong answer.’ We learned how songs are structured, wrote our own original song about growing up in County Kilkenny, and came away with new skills and confidence that we’ll use again and again. We would love to have her back next year.
Caoimhe & Anna, Students
