Artist – Étáin Collins

This Story I Tell You Is True

Dunmanway Community Hospital

This Story I Tell You Is True is a songbook created by Arts for Health participants at Dunmanway Community Hospital with musician Étáin Collins. 

Setting out with the aim of finding a song from every county in Ireland, the group travelled the length and breadth of the island from the comfort of the hospital day room. Discovering new tunes, enjoying old favourites, and sharing family histories and funny tales along the way.

This Story I Tell You Is True is the result of lively brainstorming sessions, careful considerations, and helpful suggestions from staff, family, and friends. The book contains short anecdotes from participants, and thirty-three songs – how could Cork have just one!

The cover design was decided by the residents, and the name was suggested by one participant, after a song the group often sang and discussed together:

‘The stout it was cured with a poker and poitín they said cured the flu
The bacon it hung from the ceiling, sure this story I tell you is true’

 

Timeframe
The project took place from April to July 2024.

 

Testimonies

‘It brought back memories. It made us search our minds for the music we had and found out how much had changed in a short span of time. We thoroughly enjoyed it.’ – Participant

‘It was exciting. We never did it before – gathering all the songs from the counties, we never thought of that. We only thought it up when you came.’ – Participant

This project was funded by Arts for Health Partnership Programme, West Cork.