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Nursing Homes Week is Ireland’s national celebration of nursing home care. Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023, Nursing Homes Week runs from 21 – 27 August, bringing residents and staff from nursing homes across Ireland together to celebrate the role of nursing home care in Irish society.
Music is the theme for the 2023 celebrations. It fulfils an pivotal role in meeting the health and social care needs of residents in nursing home care, bringing special memories, discussion, comfort, joy, togetherness, camaraderie and happiness.
Nursing homes across Ireland will be hosting music-themed and other celebratory events to mark Nursing Homes Week 2023. As part of the celebrations, a special online festival titled Music Speaks will be taking place for nursing home residents, their family and friends, staff and visitors.
Music Speaks line up
- Music Speaks: Over 100 residents and staff from nursing homes will be performing at a special performance on Monday 21 August. The setlist includes Danny Boy, Molly Malone, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Can’t Help Falling in Love, You Are My Sunshine, Que Sera, Sera. The event will feature the very famous 100-year-old Irish traditional musician Peig Ryan, along with residents from nursing homes in their eighties and nineties.
- Sadhbh O’Sullivan is a songwriter, musician and arts-in-health practitioner. As a solo artist she has released three albums (under the name Sive). Sadhbh delivered a series of performances for nursing home residents during Covid-19. She is returning to entertain for Music Speaks on Tuesday 22 August.
- John Spillane: Musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer, John Spillane will perform for nursing home residents on Wednesday 23 August.
- The Irish Traditional Music Archive encompasses an extensive traditional music, song and dance collection. Performances from the archive will be opened up to nursing home residents on Thursday 24 August.
- The impact of Music in Nursing Homes: A roundtable webinar discussion on Thursday 24 August with musicians and music therapists regarding the powerful impact music has within nursing homes.
- Mobile Music Machine have been touring the country bringing live music into the lives of nursing home residents. Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh will perform with them on Friday 25 August.
- Forget-Me-Nots is a community choir for older people, family, friends and neighbours that is especially welcoming to those affected by dementia and memory loss. A selection of performances will entertain nursing home residents and staff on Saturday 26 August.
- Ross Scanlon performs John McCormack: Hailed by the Irish Times as ‘the most promising Irish tenor heard in years’, Ross will deliver a special trip down memory lane. Count John McCormack was one of the supreme vocal artists of his time. Nursing home residents will be treated to a unique performance on Sunday 27 August.
How to access Music Speaks
The performances will be shared in over 400 nursing homes for broadcast on a day-to-day basis during the festival. Tune into the Nursing Homes Ireland YouTube channel to watch and enjoy the performances.
For further information visit nhi.ie
