To celebrate International Women’s day, some of Ireland’s best female talent will join together for the Notes From a Quiet Place live-streamed concert in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The show will feature artists such as Maria Doyle Kennedy, Gemma Dunleavy, Anne Enright, Fehdah, Felispeaks, Tara Flynn, Sinéad Gleeson, Aoife Nessa Frances and Annemarie Ní Churreain.
The show will highlight the artist’s feelings towards the silence we’re experiencing on the empty streets and venues during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The show, which was organised by Sinéad Gleeson and Gary Sheehan, will be available to view for free on the National Concert Hall’s YouTube and social media channels this Saturday, March 6, at 8pm.
Announcing the event on their Instagram, The National Concert Hall said; “As International Women’s Day approaches, Notes from a Quiet Land, supported by Arthur Cox, invites some of Ireland’s most exciting female voices in music and word to reflect and respond to the silence of empty streets, venues and lives led inside, as we collectively navigate our current way of living.”
Speaking to Hotpress about the event, Robert Read, CEO of the National Concert Hall said; “An important part of the NCH’s remit is to encourage and engage artists in the presentation of new music and works, whilst also providing a platform for it to be performed and heard. At this time of crisis, the NCH is pleased to have the opportunity to offer a platform to support new and leading female voices, particularly as we approach International Women’s Day, to offer their musical and literary response to the times we live in.”
There has been a welcomed spotlight shone on the Irish music industry this last year as it has become apparent that there is not an equal representation for women. The gender disparity report issued by Why Not Her in November highlighted the huge disparity among the Irish music charts. The report was done by Cian Sullivan, under the supervision of Linda Coogan Byrne and used data from December 7th 2018 to November 6th 2020.
The report stated that in the Official Irish Albums Chart over the last two years, 73 Irish acts entered the charts and only 17 of them were female. It also showed that no female artist has entered the Top 10 Irish Single Chart since 2016, whereas five male acts have spent 51 weeks in the Top 10 with 12 singles over the last two years alone.
Why Not Her have also created an Action Plan to guide radio stations on how to be more inclusive in their radio play. The action plan is full of statistics for the stations as well as changes that can be made to change the way the industry is treating women, this includes ensuring that the leaders of these companies actively make the commitment to give women more airplay and to set diversity and inclusion targets for the company to follow. The action plan also encouraged the stations to take a look at the research and use this data to diversify teams and create a space for women on their airwaves. The action plan also stated that real change is possible. Since the release of the first gender disparity report, RTÉ 2FM now has 40% parity, SPIN 1038 has 45% parity and BEAT 102 103 has achieved 35%
Watch Notes From A Quiet Land on Saturday, March 6th, at 8pm – streamed on the National Concert Hall YouTube and social media channels.
