Party Piece is a project led by Dr. Kevin McNally and funded by Creative Ireland, Cork County Council and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Over the next three years it will run a block of participatory music sessions in community centres across west Cork, starting in 2024 with Clonakilty and Bantry.  See www.kevinmcnallymusic.com/community-projects/party-piece for updates. 

Party Piece is a relaxed participatory music session for everyone, regardless of musical experience in which we help you to play the music that's close to your heart. It is about the simple joy of sharing songs and tunes with each other and the aim is to grow a shared repertoire of pieces that are easy to join in with and that have a wide appeal. Each week, the anchor musician will facilitate the learning (or remembering) of these tunes, and everyone is encouraged to sing or bring any instrument they might have to contribute to the sound. At the end we will compile a songbook of all the favourite tunes, so you will never be stumped when asked for a party piece! Party Piece’s Irish-language version is called Abair Amhrán and currently runs a monthly session in Skibbereen and Oileán Chléire.

Sound is a binding agent and we are all part of a commonage of sound. A community coming together to make music is a powerful way to assert our interdependence and develop a shared language celebrating place and belonging. 

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.