"The funding I received from NET was for an educational trip to the island of Innisheer, off the West Coast of Ireland. Every year around 200 Bodhran players converge on the island to learn the instrument and make a whole lot of noise! I went, having played the instrument for about 6 months, with an interest in using it for my growing Music In Healthcare work. The week I spent on Innisheer gave me a firm foundation in the instrument's technique, but also helped me recognise my potential as a performer on the instrument. The following year I returned to Innisheer, and also attended another course in Gurteen, County Sligo. Following this I joined contemporary folk band Ranagri, based in London, and our 2018 album will be released on Stockfisch Records. I am playing the Bodhran throughout! I am also still working in healthcare settings, with a growing portfolio of work across London and Essex, and education work with Trinity Laban Conservatoire and Kings College London. I have given Bodhran workshops for The English Folk Dance and Song Society, and Hammersmith Irish Cultural Centre, and I have even performed at the Irish Embassy on the Bodhran - and I'm English! Much of the work I am doing is using the foundation of skills I built up in Ireland, and the contacts and friends I made on the course are still part of my professional network now. A huge thank you to NET for helping me along my professional and musical journey."
Joe Danks
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