Clare Traditional Arts Forum

The Forum was set up in November 2006 by the Arts Office of Clare County Council with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. The role of the arts office is to organise meetings, offer support, advice and assistance as required. The activities of the forum will be determined by the forum members (people in attendance).

The forum is open to anyone involved in the traditional arts i.e. traditional musicians, singers, dancers, organisations, volunteers, festivals and anyone interested in traditional arts.

As explained at the initial meeting the aims of the forum are:

  • To discuss ideas / projects amongst those in attendance at the forum.
    We hope that the forum will benefit all by being a platform to share opinions and advice, consult with those involved in the traditional arts in Clare, link traditional arts activity in Clare and assist with less clashing / duplicating of events.

  • To be an opportunity for people to find solutions to problems, deficiencies or issues in the sector in general.
    This gives the traditional arts community more ownership of the projects that will emerge in Clare and everyone should feel included. Working as a group through the forum (while keeping the identity of each individual / organisation) may also be beneficial for accessing funding at national and local level. Projects will be put in place by the forum, not by the Clare Arts Office, but we will be available to give advice / help (e.g. how to apply for funding etc.) on an ongoing basis.

The benefits of forum’s and networks are widely known and can be seen in various communities throughout the Ireland. Most appropriate in this case is the Roscommon Traditional Arts Forum, which is the first of its kind in Ireland. Through this forum various projects were undertaken e.g. the transmission of traditional arts in primary schools, marketing brochures, an on-line archive and Feadogmor Music produced the cd ‘Flute Players of Roscommon, Vol. 1’ showcasing a number of stalwart flute players in Roscommon.

The next Clare Traditional Arts Forum meeting is on Monday,
7th April 2008 at 7.30pm in the Maguire Suite, Old Ground Hotel, Ennis.

We are exploring the possibility of holding the forum meetings in different areas throughout the county. If anyone has ideas of venues / areas or feedback on this, please contact the Arts Office. Tel: Tara Connaghan at 061 364062 or email: shannonarts@clarelibrary.ie.

Traditional Arts Forum Notes:

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