Culture/Music
County Meath has a wealth of talented performing art groups in the cultural and musical entertainment sector. Our communities are alive with performing arts, music and dance, song and stage. From traditional to classical, from show tunes to sacred hymns, Meath has talented groups and individuals performing them.
Meath Partnership is committed to further developing the performing arts in the county. We can provide support to local performance groups through funding of equipment, banners, uniforms etc to further develop performing arts in County Meath.
To date we have brought together a number of performers under the umbrella of ‘Meath Performers’. This brand identity means that the performers can now collectively promote themselves on a local and national level. They’re a talent bunch - and we’re not the only ones signing their praises! Meath’s Performers have captivated audiences and won awards on regional, national and international stages. Their achievements speak for themselves.
Navan Choral Festival - Case Studies
The first Navan Choral Festival took place in 1979. Now in its 32nd year the festival has grown into a celebrated national event for talented choirs, solo singers and pianists. It initially began as a one and a half day event, however with the recent support of LEADER it has been extended to a 4 day annual festival. Choirs of all ages and backgrounds compete to make their mark in this prestigious competition.
The festival runs from the Thursday through to Sunday after the May Bank Holiday weekend. Choirs from Primary and Secondary Schools compete on Thursday and Friday with the soloist and pianist competing on Saturday. The main event of the festival takes place on the Sunday evening where top class choirs from all over the country compete for ‘The National Choir of the Year Perpetual Cup’.
‘There’s always a great atmosphere at the festival. We’ve been complimented many times by people saying they just love coming to Navan Choral Festival. It a combination of the professional way it is delivered mixed in with the very human element. Sean talk about the how LEADER funding has supported the festival. ‘We always had difficulties with the hiring the stage each year as it took a large portion of our budget. We located the perfect stepping stage a few years ago and we were able to buy it with the help of LEADER funding. Funding is gone from almost everywhere so knowing that they are there is very reassuring in the present economic climate. LEADER were also very helpful at advising us about other areas where we could improve the running of our Festival. For me, LEADER were great as they had a sensible approach to the money – they weren’t wasteful but kept encouraging us to improve things and they kept us on our toes too to make sure we got value for money.
Navan Choral Festival brings about 3000 people to the town. ‘In the past there was a sense of ‘The Choral Festival is on …and the Choral Festival is over’. But for the last 4 or 5 years there has actually been an awakening and awareness of what Navan Choral Festival is all about. If there’s one thing about Navan Choral Festival it’s that it’s not commercial – it’s actually very much a fellowship, a cultural event and a wonderful asset to our town. We have big plans for the Choral Festival and hopefully with LEADER support we will continue to grow and develop over the next few years.’