Musical Memories and Ukulele Ceili, are intergenerational music projects in Music Generation Laois and Music Generation Offaly-Westmeath respectively. Through funding from the Creativity in Older Age Scheme (Creative Ireland), both projects are now being expanded across all counties, using music as a tool to combat the isolation that older people are experiencing as a result of Covid-19.

Musical Memories is a Music Generation Laois intergenerational music project with carehome residents, primary school children, grandparents and voluntary organisations in Laois. Musical Memories creates social connections through music, using music as a tool to stimulate memories of past-times by focusing on songs from different eras, and thereby opening up opportunities for conversations, and forging new friendships.

Musical Memories is currently delivered in 3 care-home settings in Laois (Abbeyleix, Shaen, Mountmellick), 3 primary schools – Rath NS, Errill NS and Paddock NS, and has recently opened up to voluntary organisations in the county–Mountmellick Men’s Shed now attend weekly online.

Ukulele Ceili is an intergenerational music project with primary school children and grandparents in Music Generation Offaly-Westmeath. Set up in 2018, the project originally brought primary school children from the MG Offaly-Westmeath Schools programme (focusing primarily on DEIS schools), and their grandparents together in Family Resource Centres, to play the ukulele.

Photo credit: Alf Harvey

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