The Armagh Rhymers Digital Classroom
A BIT OF BACKGROUND
The Armagh Rhymers Educational and Cultural Organisation, founded in 1978 is a dynamic force in Irish cultural preservation and education. Through vibrant performances, workshops, and outreach programmes, the organisation aims to promote and celebrate the rich traditions of Irish folklore, music, and storytelling.
At its core, the Armagh Rhymers are committed to preserving Ireland's cultural heritage by passing down traditional arts to future generations. They have gained international recognition, representing Ireland's cultural richness on stages around the world. Through their performances of mumming plays, they bring to life ancient customs and stories, keeping them relevant in the modern world. The organisation is dedicated to fostering community engagement and inclusivity. They provide workshops and educational programmes that offer hands-on experiences in traditional Irish music, dance, and storytelling.
The organisation plays a vital role in promoting social cohesion and understanding. As pioneers of shared education, they work actively with schools and educators across the province to showcase a unique local tradition that belongs to all in our community and use art, music, dance and costume to breakdown social barriers and foster cohesion and understanding.
The Project
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Armagh Rhymers’ Digital Classroom was created and now serves as an open platform for preserving and sharing Irish cultural traditions with a global audience. As an educational resource, it aims to provide accessible opportunities for schools to engage with traditional Irish music, dance, and storytelling through digital resources and lesson ideas. This digital initiative not only expands the reach of the organisation's educational efforts but also facilitates cultural exchange and appreciation across borders.
The Digital Classroom was “created for children and designed for teachers.” It offers an ‘always on’ arts resource to empower teachers to bring creative education to life in their classroom, at a time and pace that suits them. Content has been designed to complement the live performance experience delivered by The Armagh Rhymers and makes use of digital media. Each activity is supported with facilitator notes, project ideas and resource lists which have been designed to easily slot into a teacher’s existing planning documents.
Sponsorship Details
In response to independent research and evaluation of the Digital Classroom conducted by The University of Ulster, The Armagh Rhymers now wish to develop new content in line with the needs of educators and children. 72% of respondents noted ‘cost’ as the main barrier to accessing online arts education platforms and 63% cited ‘time’ as the main barrier.
We are seeking investment in script development, content creation, accompanying educational materials and resources to create a body of high-quality digital arts resources with dedicated teacher training to promote the platform and engage users.
We are looking forward to discussing the project with anyone who would be interesting in supporting it with any flexible level of investment and how we can work together to help spread the word on the platform and the Armagh Rhymers!
Benefit to the Investor
The Armagh Rhymers have an existing international reputation for creating high quality arts education programmes and in 2023-2024 they performed for 4332 children in NI primary schools alone. Digital resources will allow them to collaborate with an even larger number of schools and educational platforms and investors can leverage these partnerships to extend their reach and create meaningful connections.
- The Armagh Rhymers have an existing audience across the island of Ireland as well as the UK, Europe, the US and China. Investment in high quality resources would allow them to market the platform outside NI to be used across the world, offering a global market for sponsors.
- Themes explored in the Armagh Rhymers programmes include topics on diversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, using arts and culture for positive mental and physical wellbeing and protection of our natural environment. By aligning with The Armagh Rhymers, sponsors can have meaningful impact on these vital issues directly with communities, especially our young people.
- Sponsorship of content creation will create opportunities for performers and content creators to learn new skills and tell ancient stories and folklore customs in a new and innovative way.
- Associating with The Armagh Rhymers demonstrates a commitment to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage and our unique local artforms.
- Sponsor logos will feature prominently in all content created as well as all marketing and promotion of the platform.