ESB proudly supports poetry CD launched in London at the Embassy of Ireland by Older Irish People in Britain in collaboration with the Irish Elderly Advice Network.
A group of Older Irish People in Britain in collaboration with the Irish Elderly Advice Network launch a CD of poetry and music entitled “Ceol agus Soul” at the Embassy of Ireland on Tuesday 24th November 2015.
The CD project was proudly supported by ESB, Ireland’s premier energy company who operate across the UK & Ireland. Pat Naughton, Executive Director of Group People and Sustainability said, “ESB delivers for customers in every community across the length and breadth of Ireland; we are growing our business in Britain and are delighted to build on our strong links to the Irish community in the UK and support an important diaspora group through this cultural and social initiative. The group recorded poetry and spoken word to demonstrate that poetry and literature is for everyone and shouldn’t be confined to a particular demographic.”
Many of those on the CD are in the Irish Pensioners Choir. The choir was established by a small group of Irish pensioners over ten years ago and has been growing ever since. The Irish Pensioners Choir is supported by the Irish Elderly Advice Network (www.irisheldersadvice.org.uk) and the Irish Elders Culture Office (www.irishelderscultureoffice.com). What began as a group of five older people with a shared love of music has now grown into a team of almost 30 singers, who meet regularly to rehearse at the London Irish Centre in Camden Square. The choir was originally formed as a way to tackle isolation, as many of the members are widows and widowers.
Alice Kennedy, Chair of the Irish Elderly Advice Network and the Irish Pensioners Choir said, “This is a positive example of older Irish People in Britain who have come together socially in an effort to counter isolation and loneliness, acting as ambassadors for older people and showing that getting older does not mean losing an interest in life.”
The group represent a generation of Irish people who came to Britain to seek broader opportunities and who have contributed to this country’s economic and social growth. Many also sent remittances home to Ireland to support extended family members and their important contribution to our society should not be overlooked.
Choir members selected songs and poems that had personal meaning for each of them. Many were keen to highlight their Irish heritage in the lead-up to the 100-year commemorations of the 1916 Easter Rising. The CD includes poetry from:
- Author and President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
- Irish writer Seamus Heaney, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1985 who died in 2013.
- WB Yeats (2015 is the 150th anniversary of his birth and a number of commemorative events have been held this year in Britain).
- Dan Mulhall, The Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain, who has a guest appearance on the CD reciting WB Yeats, demonstrating his support of the choir’s objectives
The title of the CD, Ceol agus Soul, was selected by the group of Older Irish People in Britain from a shortlist of titles nominated by ESB staff.
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