InHouse Harmony: Music and Sonic Citizenship in the Irish Prison System
A lecture by Áine Mangaoang (University of Oslo) organised by the School of Education and the Faculty for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Please register for the event here.
Join us for a public talk that explores the ongoing Prisons of Note project, a ground-breaking four-year investigation into the impact of music and sound in criminal justice systems. This research crosses disciplinary boundaries and moves beyond isolated case studies to reveal how music is used and is useful in prisons from a peripheral perspective, through fieldwork in prisons in Norway, Iceland and Ireland.
The talk will offer a critical reflection on this research project in progress, underscoring both the unforeseen challenges and the innovative opportunities encountered along the way. Focusing on research carried out in Irish prisons, we will delve into two particularly compelling case studies. First, an “inside-outside” choir that unites incarcerated men in Mountjoy Prison with women from a Dublin workplace choir, who have sang together as the InHouse Harmony choir for the past five years. Second, a collaborative soundscape project created by students and their teacher from Cork Prison, exhibited as a sound installation on the historic Spike Island in 2024.
Throughout the talk, we will explore music’s dual role as a dynamic medium for sonic citizenship and the negotiation and contestation of artistic agency and social values. With the Irish prison service experiencing well-publicized challenges including during this period of research, such cases reveal the nuanced dynamics and emerging tensions arising from the intersection of prison music-making and community arts. This talk invites attendees to reflect on music’s potential to reshape and strengthen communities within and beyond the prison walls.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: mccorms5@tcd.ie