I spent my first couple of months in the Neach An Taighe roll speaking to hall representivitives, curators and committees to get a sense of what was already happening in community spaces and what people would like to happen. Once I’d spoken to everyone that had an interest in participating I wrote some initial thoughts to get people up to speed and spark more conversation. The paragraphs below are that letter… 

At the beginning of this venture there was no clear plan, just a general sense of intent. There is still no official itinerary in place, but as more hall representatives talk about their thoughts and wishes, the needs and attitudes of their communities, plus how their halls navigated the problems of the 2020 lockdowns, some ideas have begun to solidify. Conversations with hall committees and curators across the region have shown what a diverse range of activities these spaces already enable. Some buildings are used almost constantly, others not as much as many would like. There is no single event that works everywhere, but we are keen for as many halls to be a part of this celebration as possible. 

Many people, both among the halls’ representatives and in the communities that surround them, are still uneasy about large in-person events (particularly as covid cases threaten to rise). There has been much discussion about filmed and recorded sessions, not only as a way to keep the halls in use without relying on dances and live events, but also as a social archiving resource and a method of regularly engaging with communities online. Some have suggested that professionally filming music sessions, creative projects, personal stories, local history, folk tales, poetry and general snippets of life could be an effective way of bringing together all the region’s activities in one place as a kind of cultural snapshot – possibly presented as a feature length film, video series, exhibition or website. Hopefully such an assemblage would then go on to inspire further activities in turn. Some halls are already filming music sessions and uploading them to social media (one has even offered to help other halls build similar set-ups so they can do the same), it would be brilliant to grow a collection of material (not just music, but all sorts of activities) that spans the whole region, something that can be continually added to in years to come, shining a spotlight on the community halls that make these moments happen, reminding people what is available to them. 

Projects such as these often have a blind spot when it comes to non-performers though. Concerts, ceilidhs and open mic nights are relatively easy to organise but leave a lot of people out. We are really keen to connect with non-musicians and non-artists to find ways of engaging with as many parts of the community as possible. This could be by recruiting people to help organise an event, operate a camera, make food, offer up a story or write something for someone else to read/play. Or it could be something deeper behind the scenes, such as creating backdrops, decorations or stages, or even helping to alter the way sound behaves in the various spaces. 

For one subject that has come up multiple times is acoustics. Some rooms have a real issue with reverb, making social events difficult (particularly for people with hearing problems – a lively room can really mess with a hearing aid). A question worth considering is, if funding were secured for materials, would there be an appetite for organised sessions wherein people could come together and build acoustic treatment for their local hall (eg baffle boards – wooden frames containing insulating material covered over in fabric attached to the walls at strategic points)? This could be a way of practically integrating DIY activities common in schemes like The Men’s Shed with wider community events and arts groups; as an added bonus it could act as an informal way of sharing experiences and stories. And to stretch the local theme further some have suggested it could be possible to use treated local wool as the insulation material, connecting yet another aspect of life in this part of the country. Whatever the specifics, an undertaking of this sort could be a way of uniting several strands of the community, simultaneously improving the sound quality of future live events as well as encouraging people to invest time, skills and energy in their local gathering space. 

These are some of the topics, ideas and proposals that have surfaced since the project began. They are not exhaustive by any means. There are still lots of people to talk to, lots of opinions to hear. Not everything will work, but it’s all worth talking about. I hope no one will feel left out and that we can all benefit in some way from this initiative. 

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