Northern Ireland Opera visited a West Belfast community garden where visitors were treated to some theatrical music, fresh produce and lots of craic.

Bass singer Fionn Ó hAlmhain and pianist Tristan Russcher gave a rousing performance at the Whiterock-based Gairdín an Phobail. 

The garden, which is a collaboration between several groups, promotes self-help and mutual aid by growing food for community use. Following the opera performance, children from Naíscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh gave a rendition of traditional Donegal song Báidín Fheilimí.

Friday's event is a result of a collaboration between Northern Ireland Opera and Fionnuala Kennedy, who are producing a show about homelessness in Belfast. 

Seán Mac Bradaigh from Gairdín an Phobail explained: "The opera is called Nobody/Somebody, which is a phrase taken from (human rights campaigner) Inez McCormack when she described the glint she saw in a woman's eye when she thought she was nobody and realised she was somebody.

"That opera is being made about our housing campaign, and it's quite fitting that the opera is playing here on the greenway where the housing campaign is coming up against really bad city policies around Mackie's.

"This a pop-up version of the opera and there'll be more to follow."

Commenting on Friday's initiative, he continued: "This community is entitled to everything that's going, from opera to gardening, from good food to good homes.

"West Belfast should have five operas – housing accommodation, food that's right for people, and health, healing and therapeutic spaces."

He added: There's nothing better in this world than seeing kids from West Belfast sitting in front of an opera singer, singing Báidín Fheilimí to him and giving him a few lessons in how to sing."

Caolan Keaveny, Assistant Producer at NI Opera, commented: "Our aim is to put on really high-quality opera performance and to reach out to different community groups to show that opera is for everyone.

"It's musical drama and it's for everyone – it's not this elitist thing that people might think it is.

"The garden is a really brilliant use of community space. It's fantastic and I will be down as much as I can."

As well as some freshly baked pizzas, visitors also sampled some of the produce on offer at Gairdín an Phobail including this season's rhubarb.

Local gardener Claire Peacock said: "We want to be able to connect people into the food chain properly, because people now for generations go to supermarket instead of growing things.

"We want to bring people back, show people where their food comes from, but also to bring people together for craic, for solidarity and connections."