Last weekend, my daughter Lucy performed in An Grianán Theatre as part of Letterkenny Music and Drama’s Junior crew. Their variety show was called Socks Off and included a whole array of singing, dancing and drama sketches. It was fabulous to see the kids shine on stage. Thank you to producer, Fiona McDaid, for all her hard work and dedication.
Lucy loves to perform and she’s treaded the boards many times, but this was her first opportunity to play the guitar on stage in the theatre. Needless to say, it made me so proud. Neither myself or my husband can play any instruments, so we truly marvel at this natural talent that she seems to have plucked out of thin air.
Right after the kids’ variety performance, we headed to the Millennium Forum to see Onóir perform. They’re a group of incredibly talented singers and musicians from Co. Donegal. Their performance was truly outstanding. They formed during lockdown and only last year, they quit their day jobs to dedicate their time wholly to music. I sincerely hope they make it big in the industry. They could well go on to become one of our country’s greatest musical exports; that’s how talented they are. Tickets sell like hotcakes for their gigs, but if you ever get a chance, go to see them.
They all have fabulous voices, but I was equally wowed by the range of instruments they play. Having seen my own child perform for the first time on stage with her guitar, it got me thinking of the band members of Onóir as little nippers, being introduced to those various instruments and encouraged to practice and to play. Now, maybe the lads from Onóir picked up their instruments later in life – I don’t know – but I doubt it. Mastering an instrument is generally a lifelong commitment that starts in childhood.
It’s something we need to encourage our children to do. Having said that, I’m the type of parent who sees a tin whistle on the school booklist and recoils in horror at the thought of suffering through tuneless renditions of Three Blind Mice. I’m not blessed with the patience of a Saint! But really, the opportunity to learn a musical instrument needs to be embraced and children need to be encouraged to play for Granny and Granda and anyone else who will listen. It is such a fabulous gift for them to have for life.
I recently saw Muireann Bradley perform live too. Now, there’s another Donegal talent that should become one of our country’s greatest musical exports. And she definitely started playing guitar as a child – because she was still a child when I heard her play on stage! A mesmerizing performance that had the whole auditorium on their feet. Again, grab the chance to see her perform with both hands.
We have such rich musical talent here in Donegal. All of our local musicians deserve our backing and support. Check them out when they play in your local pubs or theatres. Follow them on social media and tell friends and family far and wide about them, sharing their videos and songs. Supporting local is hugely important in any industry, and our musicians are no exception. Similarly, our children deserve all our encouragement to pick up an instrument and start to play. Suffer through the Three Blind Mice! It will be worth it. After all, music is something we do so well here in Donegal.
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