This spring, we traveled to Fermanagh, Derry, Belfast and Armagh to collect field recordings from local musicians and singers as part of a ‘Traditional Music During the Time of the Troubles’ project.

This initiative encouraged a range of musicians from across Northern Ireland to share their unique experiences as performers of Irish traditional music, song and dance who lived through the period known as ‘The Troubles’. The participants shared personal musings on the Troubles’ impact, told stories that reflected that lived experience and played selections of tunes and songs. This collecting project will be a valuable store of information for future generations. We look forward to making the footage available in the near future.

We’d like to thank all the musicians and singers for their generous time and contributions to the project, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for their continued support, and Barry Kerr for conducting a selection of the interviews.