U2 to fund Louth music projects

MUSIC projects in Louth are to receive grants from a fund worth e1.6 million from a scheme part-funded by U2.

Louth, Mayo and Sligo were successful in the first round of applications for Music Generation, the e7m national music education programme.

The e7m fund includes a e5m grant from U2 with the rest coming from the Ireland Fund. Expressions of interest were submitted by all 34 local authorities, which translated into 23 bids for funding.

The money will be used to fund structured tuition for young children in Louth who would not otherwise have access to voice or instrument training.

U2 agreed to step in to partially fund the project after a successful Music Network pilot in Donegal and Dublin could not be rolled out nationally due to a lack of funding.

Led by Co Louth VEC, Louth Music Education Partnership includes membership from Louth County Council, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Louth Contemporary Music Society and representatives from the music and education sectors.

Louth Music Education Partnership aims to foster a love and understanding of music in children and young people in Louth by providing a wide-ranging, high-quality tuition and performance programme.

In ensuring a geographic spread, four main tuition centres will be established within the county which will offer instrumental, vocal and musicianship tuition.

Group and ensemble tuition will also feature, in addition to an ambitious SingFest and a recruitment drive for skilled and experienced tutors. Three-year seed funding will be used to establish services, which will be sustained long-term by the Department of Education.