Reimagining Portlaoise: Music, Memory and Meaning

Join local musician and ethnomusicologist Stewart Quinn for a journey through Portlaoise’s musical life – from hidden 16th century fort walls and convent corridors to school/town bands, festivals, and newly arrived choirs. Drawing on local history, personal narrative, and community music-making, this talk explores how sound, place, and memory shape who belongs in a town, and how music can help us imagine 'pathways' towards a more inclusive future.

Stewart Quinn is a Portlaoise musician who returned to education during the Covid pandemic. In 2025, he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Arts & Humanities, with a major in Philosophy. He has recently completed the MA Ethnomusicology course at the Irish World Academy, University of Limerick. His research interests focus on place-making, identity, and the social, political and ethical implications of music-making, with a keen eye on the unheralded work of hidden musicians.

This is an event for adults.