Our Story
The Leitrim Larks is a community song and heritage initiative founded in 2023 by traditional singer and researcher Fionnuala Maxwell. Rooted in County Leitrim, it brings people together through singing, research, performance and creative participation—preserving and promoting local songs while creating opportunities for new voices and new work.
What began as a project to pass six local songs through six “leading larks” has grown into a year-round programme of singing sessions, workshops, tours, research and collaborative projects involving communities, artists and organisations throughout County Leitrim and beyond.
How it Began
Larks are symbols of joy – singing their songs of hope and renewal. The first voices of the morning heralding a new day. The aim of this project was to herald a new day for many of the Leitrim songs and ballads that have been lost and remained unsung for many years.
I was focused on the idea of songs being “passed on” as they would have been in an oral capacity years ago and so set out to secure six leading larks from around the county, Dromod’s Ronnie Duignan, Carrick’s Carole Coleman, Drumshanbo’s Gavin Sweeney, Drumkeerin’s Anna McManus, Manorhamilton’s Aoife Hammond and Ballinamore’s Pauric Sweeney. I sourced a song for each of them from their locality, which they learned and then passed on to a wider circle of interested learners and singers over an eight-week series of workshops.
The Original project
The original project was supported by Leitrim Heritage Office and Creative Ireland. This short film introduces the six “leading larks” and the songs they passed on through the first series of community workshops.
From Project to Ongoing Initiative
Since that first programme, The Leitrim Larks has developed into an ongoing community song and heritage initiative. Its work now includes regular singing gatherings, intergenerational workshops, song and heritage tours, performances, research, artist collaborations and specially funded creative projects.
While County Leitrim remains at the heart of the organisation, the Larks also works with visiting artists, neighbouring communities and cultural partners to bring local songs into wider conversations and create new opportunities for participation.
Lend an Ear Sessions
Lend an Ear is the Leitrim Larks’ recurring pop-up singing session, travelling around County Leitrim and welcoming singers, storytellers, listeners and visiting artists. Since 2023, sessions have taken place in cafés, libraries, arts venues and community spaces across the county.
Artistic Direction
The Leitrim Larks was founded and is artistically directed by Fionnuala Maxwell, a traditional singer, researcher, educator and community arts practitioner from County Leitrim. Her work brings archival research into living community settings, reconnecting local songs with singers and audiences through performance, workshops, recording, storytelling and collaborative projects.
Fionnuala has received Arts Council Traditional Arts Bursaries and a Leitrim Heritage Award, and is a specialist in traditional music, song and folklore with the Heritage in Schools programme. Through The Leitrim Larks, she works with communities, artists and cultural organisations to ensure that Leitrim’s song tradition is not only preserved, but actively sung, shared and renewed.
Our Impact
The Leitrim Larks operates as a voluntary, not-for-profit community arts initiative. Since 2023, it has developed from a single song-sharing project into a growing programme of community participation, research, performance and artistic collaboration.
- Regular singing sessions held in communities throughout County Leitrim
- Opportunities for children, adults and older people to sing and learn together
- Local songs researched, taught, recorded and returned to circulation
- Collaborations with traditional singers, songwriters, researchers and visiting artists
- Partnerships with schools, libraries, arts venues and community organisations
- Heritage tours, performances and creative projects connecting song with place and memory
The impact of the work lies not only in the number of events delivered, but in the songs remembered, the voices encouraged and the connections created between people, generations and places.
The Leitrim Larks 