It was a truly wonderful experience to sit in the bright and spacious Blasket Centre, which the OPW generously made available to Camphill for that week. The orchestra was unique; it was an ad-hoc orchestra made up of the talents and abilities of the people present at any given time. Some of the musicians were accomplished players, some humble beginners. There were hand bells, various drums and percussion instruments, polychords, lyres, violins, a cello, flutes, and even a saxophone and a trumpet. Each instrument had an important part to play and each voice, however humble, contributed to the sound of the whole; a true and wonderful experience of Community.
The members of the "Camphill Orchestra" stayed in cottages in a courtyard in Dingle; this was a great opportunity to meet old friends and to make new ones. We went out together for meals, listened to music in the pub and danced together at a ceili. With so many Camphillers in town the music week definitely was the talk in town.
The Community in Dingle, together with all their friends, looked after all of us so well. Tea breaks with delicious homemade cakes appeared miraculously just at the right moments, and a local chef cooked our lunches for us in the local youth hostel.
Next to practising in the orchestra we all had the opportunity to do some singing, drumming, dancing and bell ringing. Some of us discovered our talent in salsa dancing!
At the end we performed the fruits of all our hard rehearsing at a fundraising concert organised by the Dingle community. The sound of the music, the memory of the wonderful time spent with new and old friends, and the sound of the waves on Dingle Peninsula will live on in me for a long time.
Thank you to all the friends who helped to bring about such a truly inspiring week!
Claudia Brave
