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The Rocky Road
We are inviting schools from across the country to come along to “The Rocky Road Sing Song” with one of Ireland’s leading musicians, Damien Dempsey, will staged in the iconic TF Royal in Castlebar, Co.Mayo on May 1st 2026 at 11am.
It promises to be a morning of songs, stories and tunes to be enjoyed and will be performed by you – the primary and secondary school students of Ireland!
A sing song for all!
The “Songs and Stories” project encourages children to engage with Ireland’s rich cultural legacy and aims to foster cultural understanding, empathy, and a sense of community among students nationwide, promoting screen-free fun.
Holy Trinity lead the way
RTE filmed Damien Dempsey, and the team from Inspiring You, when they visited Damo’s old school, Holy Trinity SNS, for a school sing song to promote the “Songs and Stories” project. The reception Damo got showed that there was a clear appetite among students to connect with our cultural heritage.
Dúchas archive
The, “Songs and Stories” concept is simple. We want to encourage children and schools to make time for songs, stories and tunes in everyday life. The Dúchas archive from 1937, as championed by John Creedon, is a vast well everyone can draw from.
Bringing songs to life
Now it’s time to forget about endless scrolling because this is about real-life fun and connecting with each other. Imagine belting out some classic Irish tunes, singing as an audience with Damien and learning about the stories hidden in the lyrics that were sung by our ancestors!
The set list will be shared in advance of the concert giving you and your classmates plenty of time to practice and to help, “Sing All Your Cares Away”.
Will your school be there?
Schools are encouraged to learn the songs from the setlist which include some classic Irish as well as some of Damo’s iconic songs, to help raise the roof as one voice at the “Rocky Road Sing Song” on Friday May 1st in the iconic TF Royal.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the “Rocky Road Sing Song with Damien Dempsey” and to show the rest of the country that the West is truly Awake on May 1st 2026 and full of great talent and stories!
Guest acts
We will be announcing some guests acts from around the country in the coming weeks. It truly will be a gig for the ages, full of craic, ceoil and positive vibes!
Sharing #SongsandStories online
Why not try making a video telling the story behind the song or share a video with of your school singing some “rare ould songs”. You can share content under #SongsandStories and share the link with us here We would love to share it to a wider audience and together we could create a digital Dúchas archive for the 21st century.
Need more information?
To find out more about the concert format or the “Songs and Stories” projects click on Contact Us or email philip@inspiringyou.ie
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