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Girls Rock Dublin (GRD)

Founded in 2016, Girls Rock Dublin (GRD) is a non-profit group and the 1st girls rock camp organisation in Ireland. We run camps and events aimed at growing girls and women's self-esteem through music creation and performance. Part of a global movement of rock camps (Girls Rock Camp) we are united by the desire for gender equality in the music industry.

 

The past few years were busy with loads of activities. A major highlight of our story so far has been the launch of The GRD Gear Library, our gear loan service that since September 2019 has made our gear accessible to teenagers all year around thanks to our partnership with Dublin City Libraries. Read more about it here and check out what gear you can borrow. It's free!


The main GRD event is our summer camp. Our first camp for 18-24 year old girls ran in June 2017 and our second was for 11-17 year olds in July 2018, followed by another one for 12-17 the following year.
Read all about it here and listen to the songs that our campers wrote!

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Coaches at the camps included Ailbhe Reddy, MayKay (Fight Like Apes, Le Galaxie), Hana Lamari & Sophie Dunne (Girlfriend), Niamh Farrell (Ham Sandwich), Naomi MacLeod (Sacred Skin, After Party, ex Bitch Falcon), Rossella Bottone (Fierce Mild, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock Orchestra), Miriam Donohue, Ewa Gigon, Aileen Wallace (LAST EDEN, Lōwli), Sally Ó Dúnlaing (Odú), Naoise Roo, Maija Sofia, Julie Bienvenu (A Lazarus Soul), Aoife McDonagh & Katie O’Neill (Alien She), Aoife Hammond (eXtravision, Surge, Old Moon), Karen Hammond (Old Moon), Cathy Ahearne (Fierce Mild, Elm), Shannon O’Neill (Sister Ghost).


We've also had some amazing guest artists like Wyvern Lingo, SOAK, Loah, Saint Sister, Girlfriend, Soulé, Elaine Mai, Hvmmingbyrd, Farah Elle and Anna-Mieke, who performed for our campers and held inspiring Q&A sessions with them.


Check out the "Testimonials" section to know how it was to be part of our camps!

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Beside the camp, over the years GRD developed and launched a number of fun workshops and events: 10-piece band improvisation and performance "Electric Lady Jam Big Band!" (Dublin Fringe Festival 2019), pop-up music making and recording experiment "Tune-Weavers" (Irish Youth Music Awards 2019), public library take-over "Instrument Carousel" (Culture Night 2019), music tech workshop series "Switched-On" (launched in partnership with music college BIMM and Ernie Ball), a stall at Forbidden Fruit Festival ran in collaboration with Hot Press, two fundraiser gigs featuring Maria Kelly, Roe, Æ MAK, Sub-Motion, Susie-Blue, Alien She and eXtravision, a music bingo night, an all-ages open mic gig, and more.

Our Mission

Girls Rock builds girls’ and gender non-binary youth's self-esteem through music creation and performance. Providing workshops and technical training, we create leadership opportunities, cultivate a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourage social change and the development of life skills.

Our Core Values

  • We value the power of music as a means to create personal and social change;

  • We value efforts that actively expand opportunities for girls, women and gender non-binary folks;

  • We value positive approaches to fighting sexism;

  • We value integrity, honesty and respect;

  • We value appropriate sharing of resources, cooperation, and collaboration;

  • We value using our collective voice to further our mission;

  • We value diversity.

What we mean by 'Girls'

Our camps are run by and for people who self-identify as women (trans and cis) or gender non-binary.

Girls Rock Worldwide

Girls Rock Camp is a global movement launched in Portland, Oregon in 2001. Primarily a music camp, Girls Rock helps women and girls build self-esteem and find their voices through collaboration in a fun, non-competitive environment. The camps offer a unique programme combining:

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  • music education

  • live performance

  • empowerment & social justice workshops

  • leadership skill building

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Music is the means through which the movement seeks to create a positive impact at both a personal and community level. Girls Rock is currently present in more than 100 cities with camps happening every year all around the world, including 16 European countries.
 

The organisation that supports and coordinates this global movement is the Girls Rock Camp Alliance.

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