Event
Researchers in music therapy at the University of Limerick have mapped all Singing for Health and Wellbeing groups in the Republic of Ireland. On Friday 15 October, Sing Ireland and the University of Limerick will host an online launch to present the findings from this living map.
Launched by Liz Nolan of Lyric FM and featuring singers from the Meath Community Unit Choir, this event will take place via Zoom at 10am. Register HERE.
About the research
This study has been led by Dr Hilary Moss and Ms Liz Helitzer from the University of Limerick. They focus on community-engaged research that explores the contribution music can make to health and wellbeing. In 2020-21, researchers at UL contacted 2,736 Irish stakeholders with links to singing for health and wellbeing, collecting data on singing groups and choirs across the country.
The results form a national and international public resource for singers, referrers, policy makers, carers and other stakeholders invested in singing for health and wellbeing. Several gaps in provision have been identified and it is hoped that data contained here will encourage more people to try singing for health and wellbeing, provide compelling evidence for investment in new services and encourage stakeholders to establish groups in areas of low provision.
This project is a unique collaboration between Sing Ireland and the University of Limerick. Sing Ireland strategically seeks to enable and enfuse singing as a means to enhance people’s lives throughout Irish society and in a multitude of health and wellbeing settings. They have agreed to host this interactive map to ensure the usefulness of this resource both now and in the future.
While there is a growing body of evidence around the social, psychological and physical benefits of singing, there is a paucity of national maps of this nature. This resource is the first-ever national mapping of group singing for health and wellbeing in the ROI and one of few internationally. It serves as a roadmap for people wishing to sing for their health, establish or improve service provision and network with others. It is hoped that this map will encourage high quality practice and investment as well as providing a useful resource for all living in Ireland.
