Wexford Festival Opera has been praised for its positive impact on patients, residents and staff following a series of music workshops and performances at St John's Community Hospital in Enniscorthy.
As the Festival drew to a close in October, residents of St John's were joined by users of local HSE Mental Health Services and Wexford Residential Intellectual Disability Services for an interactive workshop in the hospital's Oak Ward Day Room.
The workshop was facilitated by Wexford Festival Opera's Education Outreach Co-ordinator Elizabeth Drwal and featured baritone Timothy Mays, one of this year's Festival Factory rising-star artists.
The event included musical performances, audience participation and group sing-alongs, providing an inclusive experience for everyone involved.
The workshop followed an earlier performance in September at the hospital's Creative Activity Garden, featuring singers Vlad Sima and Charlotte Baker, accompanied by pianist Rebecca Warren.
Both initiatives formed part of Wexford Festival Opera's community outreach activities, with support from Wexford County Council's Arts Office and the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner with Wexford Mental Health Services and Chair of the St John's Community Hospital Healthy Campus Group, Mick Mahon, described the collaboration as a major success.
"I think everyone would agree that this project has been a fantastic success. The contribution of Wexford Festival Opera has had a hugely positive impact on the wellbeing of patients, staff, families, and the wider community over the course of these sessions. It is certainly something that we would like to revisit again in 2027."
He also praised the involvement of hospital staff, patients and families in making the events possible.
The hospital's Creative Activity Garden, which includes an amphitheatre-style space, has been used throughout the year for community gatherings and health and wellbeing activities.
The collaboration highlights the role music and the arts can play in supporting wellbeing and bringing cultural experiences directly to people using healthcare services.
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