“The Rocky Road Sing Song” with Ireland’s leading musician, 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 on stage with Damien and learning about the stories hidden in the lyrics that were sung by our ancestors!
Will your school be there?
Schools are invited to suggest some classic Irish songs and stories, as well as some of Damo’s iconic songs, for 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!
Sharing #SongsandStories online
Why not post your favorite songs online 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. Who knows your song might make the “Rocky Road Sing Song” set list!
Conversation Starters – Breaking the silence
Damo is a great advocate for the power of conversation, music and song to help connect people and communities on multiple levels. The “Conversation Starters” team of Paul Ryan and Veronica Morley have put together a workbook to help TY classes engage and discuss the positive messages in some of Damien’s music.
The program is the brainchild of Paul and it offers a valuable platform to stimulate discussions about mental wellbeing, something that can be a real benefit to many young people who might otherwise struggle to express themselves.
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 For more information on the “Conversation Starters” program email: paulryan@msletb.ie
No Comments