A superb way to celebrate the nation in music, the National Concert Hall's unique all-island schools song competition was a highlight of the venue's 2016 Centenary Programme and was hosted in conjunction with Disney Music Group and the Department of Education and Skills.
With students invited to write and perform a song celebrating the modern, multi-cultural Ireland of 2016, the songs entered were encouraged to explore themes like equality of opportunity, liberty, and the equal cherishing of all of the island’s children; themes as relevant today as when they were written into the 1916 Proclamation.
The competition's wonderful winning song, Ireland Is Our Home, has today become available to download and stream through Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records. Written by 12-year-old David Adderley of Scoil Mochua, Celbridge, County Kildare, the song is performed by David and his friend Ammani Bengo. David's inspiration for the song was his diverse group of friends at school:
“It’s amazing how I go to school with so many children who were born in other countries but have now made Ireland their home. This really inspired me when writing the song”.
With over 150 entries from across Ireland, the finalists were whittled down to 14 talented songwriters, who were invited to perform live at the National Concert Hall on 15th May 2016.
The competition was judged by an array of industry experts including: Tony Clayton-Lea (Irish Times journalist), musicians Jack Lukeman, Ríona Sally Hartman, Josh McClorey (lead guitarist of The Strypes), and Niamh Farrell (lead singer of HamsandwicH).
As Ireland is now very much an island of nations, and its citizens and children have their origins in a multitude of countries, cultures, religions and traditions, the National Concert Hall's innovative Song for ’16 competition justly celebrated the innate cultural and musical diversity of modern Ireland.
Listen to Ireland Is Our Home here.
Dóigh iontach chun an náisiún a cheiliúradh i gceol, bhí an comórtas uathúil amhrán uile-oileáin do scoileanna de chuid an Cheolárais Náisiúnta ina bhuaicphointe de Chlár Comórtha Céad Bliain 2016 an ionaid agus tionóladh é i gcomhar le Disney Music Group agus an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna.
Agus cuireadh tugtha do dhaltaí amhrán ina ndéantar comóradh ar Éirinn chomhaimseartha ilchultúrtha 2016 a scríobh agus a sheinm, spreagadh go ndéanfaí iniúchadh sna hamhráin a iontráladh ar ábhair amhail comhionannas deiseanna, saoirse, agus comhchúram do chlanna uile an náisiúin; téamaí atá chomh hábhartha inniu is a bhí nuair a scríobhadh isteach i bhForógra 1916 iad.
Tá amhrán buacach iontach an chomórtais, Ireland Is Our Home, ar fáil inniu lena íoslódáil agus lena shruthú trí Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records. Arna scríobh ag David Adderley, dhá bhliain déag d’aois, as Scoil Mochua, Cill Droichid, Cill Dara, tá an t-amhrán á sheinm ag David agus a chara Ammani Bengo. Ba é grúpa éagsúil David ar scoil a inspioráid don amhrán:
“Tá sé iontach an dóigh a dtéim ar scoil leis an oiread sin leanaí a rugadh i dtíortha eile agus a bhfuil a mbaile in Éirinn anois. Thug sin inspioráid mhór dom nuair a bhí an t-amhrán á scríobh agam”.
Cuireadh isteach os cionn 150 iontráil ó gach áit in Éirinn, rinneadh na hiomaitheoirí sa chomórtas ceannais a ghearradh síos go 14 scríbhneoir amhrán chumasacha, ar tugadh cuireadh dóibh léiriú beo a thabhairt ag an gCeoláras Náisiúnta an 15 Bealtaine 2016.
Ba réimse saineolaithe ón tionscal a rinne moltóireacht ar an gcomórtas lena n-áirítear: Tony Clayton-Lea (iriseoir ó The Irish Times), ceoltóirí Jack Lukeman, Ríona Sally Hartman, Josh McClorey (príomhghiotáraí in The Strypes), agus Niamh Farrell (príomhamhránaí in HamsandwicH).
Toisc gurb oileán náisiún anois í Éire a bheag nó a mhór, agus go bhfuil a mbunús ag a saoránaigh agus a leanaí in iliomad tíortha, cultúr, reiligiún agus traidisiún, is ceart é go ndearnadh an éagsúlacht chultúrtha agus cheoil ó nádúr in Éirinn an lae inniu a chomóradh le comórtas nuálach an Cheolárais Náisiúnta, Song for ‘16.
Éist le Ireland Is Our Home anseo.