Young people learning the traditional arts keep the Gaeltacht pulse beating

Young people learning the traditional arts keep the Gaeltacht pulse beating

Ealaín na Gaeltachta is delighted to announce the logo for the Cuisle programme and a call for expressions of interest for a new online creativity camp scheme. As part of Cuisle, Ealaín na Gaeltachta is engaged in running and funding workshops and events in traditional arts for young people throughout the Gaeltacht. Cuisle is funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht who provided €1.275 million over 3 years (2019-2022) aimed at promoting language-based traditional arts and in support of the language planning process. The new logo will be launched on Ealaín na Gaeltachta’s Facebook page tomorrow (26 May 2020) at 8am and the sean-nós dancer Ruadhán Ó Flatharta from Conamara will be doing an Instagram takeover of the Ealaín na Gaeltachta page for the day.

The programme, which was started in 2019, has over 2000 young people and over 40 schools participating. Classes are provided in music, dance, song and oral arts (lúibíní and storytelling) by the finest practitioners.

Three schemes are currently open to encourage the traditional arts among young people. This year, for the first time, due to the crisis health and safety restrictions, Ealaín na Gaeltachta is providing funding under Cuisle to run an online creativity camp this summer for teenagers interested in the traditional arts and who would like to use technology to present their arts in an innovative way.  Proposals are welcome from artists, groups or organisations with innovative ideas and experience in using creative models and modern technology to achieve artistic objectives. The deadline for proposals is 8 June 2020. This is the second year the other two schemes, NÓTA which is open on a continuous basis and NEARTÚ which is announced on an annual basis for organisations, have been available.

Launching the name for the new scheme, Cathal Goan, Ealaín na Gaeltachta Board member and chair of the Cuisle programme’s advisory committee said, “This is an additional layer to the work of Ealaín na Gaeltachta. Young people are the pulse of the Gaeltacht, they are the heart and the soul of the Gaeltacht and through this scheme, young people, the traditional arts and the Irish language will be developed to celebrate the Gaeltacht’s cultural wealth and to pass it on to the next generation.”

Speaking as a tutor for the programme, the sean-nós dancer Ruadhán Ó Flatharta, winner of the Steip 2019 competition, said “I get great satisfaction from teaching these classes knowing that I am contributing to our culture and ensuring that sean-nós dancing is being passed on and will thrive in the community for years to come. I was honoured to have my steps recorded for the design of the Cuisle logo.”

Ruadhán’s sean-nós dancing was recorded and had the wavelengths mapped for the design of the logo’s shapes. The Gaeltacht’s spirit is expressed through the steps’ rhythm and the image portrays the diversity and identity which connects the Gaeltacht’s youth to each other; young people are the pulse of the Gaeltacht.

Further information:

Elaine Scahill, Cuisle Coordinator

e.scahill@udaras.ie | 087 384 0890

 

 

**Ealaín na Gaeltachta is an Údarás na Gaeltachta subsidiary. Cuisle is an Ealaín na Gaeltachta programme, funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to contribute to language acquisition and enrichment opportunities and as a support to the language planning process.**