Glaoch : A Call, Shout.
Glaoch! is a commissioned recording project that aims at amplifying the voices of national school children in Clare – a transmission of young thoughts and opinions as recorded waves.
Artist/producer John Lillis was invited to work with local national schools in Clare to develop two unique podcast shows – created, directed and presented by primary school students.
In our current social climate of restricted movement and distanced interactions, our dependence on each other and our ability to communicate lies at the core of our well being. Listening remains one of the more potent skills available to us. Our ears do a lot of the work, but the rest lies in our imagination. Glaoch! is a way to send a message, to amplify a voice to a community or nation, and to connect with it’s own local environment. Though much media content is created and directed towards young people, children’s voices are seldom heard in transmissions. Glaoch! aims to give volume to the imagination of primary school students in Clare, creating a unique radio experience that is fostered organically within the classroom. The 3rd class students of Ennis National School and the 5th and 6th class students of Broadford & Kilbane National School were our first pioneers to explore this new arts initiative.
Between March and May 2021, John Lillis worked with the students over a 7 week period to help plan, develop and produce the content. With the creative support and encouragement of Ms. Lisa Walsh of Ennis National School and Ms. Deidre Troy of Broadford National School, fun and imagination were brought to the forefront of all activities. All material was recorded within the school or classroom environment. Students were encouraged to engage with their surroundings, their community, their history, and, most of all, themselves in an attempt to create 40 mins of podcast content that’s honest, clever, reflective, fun, personal, entertaining and educational. Areas covered include local folklore, dreams, interviews with local musicians and advice for their future selves. There is even an interview with a pair of socks, perhaps the first one ever in the world!
The students were invited to research potential guests and performers, with each visitor to the classroom being interviewed by the participating students. Wider school participation was encouraged, with teachers and other students kindly agreeing to perform music and songs for the podcast. What resulted from the 7 week project were unique recordings directed by the young students that show a deep sense of fun, engagement and imagination that could only be delivered from the wild minds of children. We hope the listening experience is as special for you as it was for us in the recording process.
The Glaoch! shows are available to stream online via Soundcloud, see the links below
Glaoch! was commissioned by Clare Arts Office through the Artists in Schools program and was funded by Creative Ireland.
With thanks to our visiting guests, performers and interviewees;
- Síomha Brock
- Dermot Sheedy
- Albert Hardiman
- Pat O Brien
- Ray Cuddihy
A very special thanks to Principal Aonghus O’Brien and Ms. Deidre Troy in Broadford National School and to Ms. Lisa Walsh and Principal Brian Troy in Ennis National School.
Recorded, mixed and produced by John Lillis.
Photos by Maurice Gunning.
