Spike Island was recently transferred to Cork County Council and the process of developing ideas to bring the heritage of Spike into the public consciousness and to harness the island's tourist potential is well under way. One of the first initiatives to get off the ground is the 'Releasing Spike' songwriting workshop. The first phase of this music project happened last weekend and involved young people from Cobh visiting Spike Island, and exploring the heritage of the island through the medium of contemporary song writing.
Photo caption: 'Releasing Spike' participants from Cobh with musicians Mark Slade, Ashley Keating, Paul Linehan and Ken Cotter.
The teenagers, all members of the youth organisation 'Cobh Youth Services,' were taken on a tour of the island by musician Ken Cotter. The history of the fort left a lasting impression on them. Ken said, 'I think the visit to the disused prison cells was especially poignant for the young people as was the islands history of incarceration and deportation during the 19th century. These were the themes we saw coming through in the lyrics of their songs.'
Ashley Keating and Paul Linehan from the legendary Cork indie band, The Frank And Walters were particularly impressed with the enthusiasm shown by the young people and the speed with which they wrote their songs. 'We thought we might have one or two songs by the end of the weekend', said Ashley, 'but we had achieved that goal by the middle of the first afternoon!' Paul added, 'the speed and lack of inhibition shown by the kids was refreshing- in the end I think we learned more from them than they did from us!' The other artist involved, pianist and music director, Mark Slade agreed. 'These youngsters could really teach us a thing or two about our trade. They write from the heart and the sky is the limit for their dreams.'
'Releasing Spike' is being funded by Cork County Council and The Arts Council and is being supported by Cobh Youth Services and the Irish Naval Service. The project enters the second phase next weekend and the participants will find themselves in front of the mic recording their songs. Sinead Morgan from Cobh Youth Services said, 'everyone has been thrilled with this project and we can't wait to hear the finished songs. The musicians and young people are already hatching plans for a public performance...'
You better believe it! Watch this space.
For more information contact: Ken Cotter 086 3971338 Email: kenjcotter@eircom.net
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