Young voices in Ballymun

Sharing songs of peace and reconciliation.

St Stephen’s Green Trust’s 2018 annual report records Tommy singing with Traveller and settled young people from the Poppintree Youth Project in Ballymun. It is a documented example of his community work with young people, bringing songs of peace and reconciliation into a shared setting.

Singing together in Ballymun

The photograph in St Stephen’s Green Trust’s 2018 report identifies the participants as Traveller and settled young people from Poppintree Youth Project. Its caption describes Tommy singing songs of peace and reconciliation with them. It records a shared musical encounter, although it does not supply a date, set list or detailed workshop account.

Part of a wider approach

There is fuller documentation of Tommy’s work with young people elsewhere. In Reno, his collaboration with Judge Frances Doherty used songwriting to help young participants communicate their experiences. That is a separate project, but it offers more background to his interest in making space for young people’s voices through music.