Niamh O’Mahony, age 13, learns music through Youth Work Ireland Cork in partnership with Music Generation Cork City in Gurranabraher.
I started learning guitar about 3 years ago, and then a few weeks ago I started a bit of keyboard too. I’m learning both here with Rory (McGovern).
We do a mixture of music. I did a bit of Irish music last year, as I was learning tin whistle for a while. And this year we’re doing a mixture of pop and all that kinda stuff.
Every week when we come in, before we start, Rory asks us if we have any ideas, and then he tells us his ideas, and then we talk about it and then we figure out what we want to do.
It’s good learning in a small group, ‘cause like you can kinda feed off each other, you know, like one person might be good at one thing, and another person might be good at another thing.
When I was learning chords at the start, it hurt when you’re fingers are pressing down. But after a while, if you really want to do it, you get used to it. Keep with it. Now I’m starting bar chords which are harder again, so normal chords don’t hurt at all anymore now, but bar chords do, but I’m trying.
In school (St. Als) we do theory and tin whistle, but sometimes we do music projects where we’re allowed play our own musical instruments.
I like a new-ish American band called ‘Why Don’t We’, but they’re not really big over here. There’s a few of us in my class who like them.
I do tap, jazz and ballet dancing in CADA aswell. I’ve done their annual dance and drama shows, and I did two pantos in the Everyman. I did every fourth show at the panto, so my schedule wasn’t too bad!
My family are happy that I’m happy, like, that kinda way. With music, it’s nice to just have something to know you can go to. Say at night, when I’ve all my homework done, I’d enjoy playing a song. And at Christmas I got a ukulele aswell, and I use Youtube to learn to play it.
My Mam always says I got my thing for music from my Dad’s side. They have good rhythm and stuff. My Nan likes music, and she was very excited when I told her I got the guitar!