Civic Engagement
Top row L to R: Éadaoín Ní Mhaicín, Niamh Molloy; Gavan Ring; Lina Andonovska; Annalisa Monticelli, Áine Mulvey, John O’Flynn; Gareth Davis
Middle row L to R: Members of DCU Music Society Choir; Christoforos Karathanasis; Vasilis Rakitzis; Megan O’Neill; Colm O’Hara, Daniel Rorke, Shane O’Donovan, Cormac O’Brien; Greg Felton; Dearbhla Collins
Bottom row L to R: Rajshri Ramakrishna: Ava Glancy, Laura Donoghue, Donnchadh Mac Aodh, Aaron Glancy, Fiona Kelleghan; Colman Pearce; Laoise Dunne Ward, Tomás Peavoy Kass, Ryan Winters
Middle row L to R: Members of DCU Music Society Choir; Christoforos Karathanasis; Vasilis Rakitzis; Megan O’Neill; Colm O’Hara, Daniel Rorke, Shane O’Donovan, Cormac O’Brien; Greg Felton; Dearbhla Collins
Bottom row L to R: Rajshri Ramakrishna: Ava Glancy, Laura Donoghue, Donnchadh Mac Aodh, Aaron Glancy, Fiona Kelleghan; Colman Pearce; Laoise Dunne Ward, Tomás Peavoy Kass, Ryan Winters
DCU Lunchtime Concerts Series (LCS) 2016-2025
Presented by staff and students at the School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, curated by Prof. John O’Flynn
- 5-8 public concerts per semester, free admission, open to all
- 101 events presented from October 2016 to November 2024; further 7 concerts in Spring 2025
- Each year 120-150 DCU students and 6-12 staff members are directly involved
- Audiences range from 30-100 per concert and include DCU staff (incl. retired colleagues), students and alumni; members of public from North Dublin, secondary school groups and specialist communities of interest
- Online engagement: the LCS YouTube account has c. 10,000 views to date; regular listings on the online Journal of Music has attracted c. 3,000 views to date
- Performers comprise a mix of DCU undergraduate students mentored by DCU music faculty, and professional artists of national and international renown (including DCU staff and PhD students)
- Two-way knowledge exchange between the LCS and music programmes at DCU
- LCS activities include community and public outreach by DCU students
- Promotes diverse music genres, artists and audiences including from popular, classical, jazz, choral and local and global music traditions
- Programming includes premieres of contemporary music by Irish composers
- Strong international dimension as well as return visits by DCU graduates of renown
- Recognised as a fixture on the national live performance scene, the LCS engages with and is co-promoted by all-island cultural institutions, including the Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and music in higher education networks
- The LCS continued to champion civic engagement and quality cultural experiences for DCU students and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic through pre-recorded and live-streamed concerts
- YouTube channel established in 2020 continues as a repository for recordings of high quality performances, prolonging engagement with selections from live performances