GRANTS – WE HELP TO APPLY FOR GRANTS FOR OLDER IRISH ARTISTS
We help older Irish people to apply for funding to professionally record their music, exhibit their art, put on a show or for any other artistic activity. For many older people this is a life-long dream but something they have never had the money to do. We will not always be successful in our applications but we will always do our best.
MUSIC ALBUMS BY OLDER IRISH PEOPLE
As part of the grant application process, we can help bring older Irish singers and musicians together with other artists to play on their albums if this required. We can also arrange recording dates with recording studios and professional producers on your behalf. If you are an older Irish person and are interested in this, please do contact us. If you are a musician, singer or other artists who would like to be involved in these projects for older Irish, please get in touch. ART EXHIBITIONS BY OLDER IRISH PEOPLE
We host exhibitions of original artwork by older Irish artists and photographers, many of whom have never had the opportunity to have their work displayed. If you would like your work included in our exhibitions, or would like to talk to us about this project, we would love to hear from you. Other ongoing cultural projects
OLDER IRISH DRAMA – WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INVOLVED? We bring older Irish people together with professional actors and theatre Directors to perform Irish plays for live audiences. These are community projects, aimed at empowering older people to take part in this enriching cultural activity. We welcome involvement from anyone who would like to take part so don’t worry if you have never acted before. Our current play, The Nuns’ Chorus, will be performed in Haringey Irish Centre in May. The actors, most of whom are in their 70s and 80s, will read the plays while acting. (This is an example of how we make the projects inclusive. No need to worry about forgetting your lines…!)
OCTOGENARIAN INTERVIEWS – WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INVOLVED? We are filming a very special series of interviews with older Irish people in their 80s and over to try and capture the stories of this extraordinary generation. These interviews are focused on the ordinary Irish people who emigrated to Britain since the 40s and who have lived often extraordinary lives as emigrants here in the UK. These interviews are being conducted by Sally Mulready, Director of the Irish Elderly Advcie Network and Member of the President of Ireland’s Council of State. Sally’s first interview in this series was with Hugh Callaghan of the Birmingham Six where they talk about his life. Hugh is 85 now and in quite poor health. We believe his life story, pre and post prison, is so important, is real history and deserves to be told. We will upload these interviews over the coming weeks and months on the Irish Elders Culture Office’s YouTube Channel. THE CULTURE OFFICE TV
We will be making regular shows and posting them online on our YouTube Channel. These will largely be made in the Culture Office’s lovely Meeting Place, a space for people to come together in comfort, have a cup of tea, play some music, hear some music, enjoy the photographs and pictures, and generally feel welcomed and at home.
