Féile Women Singers in Belfast have unveiled a community singing and film project funded by the Community Heritage Fund.
The community singers based in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich Irish language, arts and cultural centre in West Belfast perform for events that seek "to make change, for fun and the love of collective singing".
Paul Mullan, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said the choir's role in community uplift had become even more crucial during the Covid crisis.
“Our local places have become more important than ever throughout this pandemic and through this fund we hope to encourage people to get to know their local heritage that bit better," he said.
“We’re grateful to the Department for Communities for providing the funding and we’re delighted to fund a diverse range of projects which will make a huge impact.”
The project, which is one of 29 awarded heritage funding, was inspired by ‘The Wonders of the Wake’ traditional music show at The Lyric Theatre last year, in which Féile Women Singers performed the lost art of keening. The show celebrates the ancient female traditions of the wake and was the last live event in the theatre before Covid struck.
Musician Clare Galway who is the director of the singing group said: “Creating this project has been such a therapeutic experience for the Féile Singers. After reflecting on the grief, adversity and heartache of the past year, we have crafted something beautifully poignant yet hopeful.”
The short films were directed by Féile Women Singers member, artist Liz Cullinane. “The videos we created are a quiet reflection on the changes that occur in the constantly evolving cycle of life and to mark the impact of the global loss in the time of the Covid-19 virus," she said.
