Two researchers from Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dr Adèle Commins and Dr Daithí Kearney, recently travelled to the University of Malta to present papers focusing on community arts initiatives in Co. Louth to an international audience. The presentations were part of the 11^th Annual Conference of the School of Performing Arts.

The conference recognised that the performing arts serve as a powerful medium for participation and engagement, and play an important role in social and everyday life, despite the challenges facing them. Building on the conference’s aim to explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when various sectors of the performing arts meet in collaborative processes, Adèle and Daithí reflected on events in 2024 for which they were part of the creative teams.

Adèle’s paper reflected on events in 2024 to mark the centenary of the death of Irish-born composer Charles Villiers Stanford. She focused in particular on a community integration project funded by the Government of Ireland that brought together professional and community artists. The lead group in the project, the Oriel Traditional Orchestra, was a voluntary intergenerational cross-border community orchestra who are based at DkIT. As part of the project, DkIT-based composers Adèle and Daithí created new arrangements of music from the Petrie collection for the ensemble, which was presented alongside works by Stanford performed by Italian musicians Francesca de Nardi, Davide Forti and Giammaria Tesei, as well as a selection of Ukranian music by the Monaghan-based NOSHI ensemble led by Hanna Schokina.

Daithí’s paper focused on the creative collaborative project that brought together professional and community artists for the production of a stage show entitled Brigid, Lady of Light. Commissioned and funded by the local authority, Louth County Council, the production was staged for three nights in An Táin Arts Centre as part of a nationwide series of events to mark the Brigid1500 celebrations. Involving professional and community-based artists, the production engaged with historical and folkloric ideas and involved the creation of a score by Daithí and Adèle. Directed by Paul Hayes, the performers featured local singers, dancers and musicians drawn from throughout Co. Louth, including the Setanta choir.

Both presentations reflect the strong interaction and relevance of research undertaken in the Creative Arts Research Centre for both the local region and international audiences. The positive response led to conversations about future international linkages between DkIT and researchers in creative and performing arts in other institutions and communities that will continue to inform activities in Louth.