Momentous weekend in Ennis

Robert Rowe starts as he means to continue as Chairman with instructions for Ennis

I had always imagined de Regge as a sort of tortured musical genius with hair like Franz Liszt and a slovenly personal appearance like Beethoven. I thought of him working away in dire exile in a cold organ loft in St Flannans Cathedral immune and oblivious to his surroundings, intent only on his music, pausing only to remember with fondness the rolling hills of his native Belguim. I was therefore surprised to meet him face to face (photographically at least) and to find that he was a very solid citizen with a twinkle in his eye and a great impression of good humour and dynamism: to find that he was the father of at least three delightful daughters who have grown into lovely ladies and who remember him still with great love and sadness at his tragic death. Now instead of De Regge the Composer I think of him as Ernest.

Annette and Earnest and Robert

All this was revealed to me on our trip to Ennis last week where we went to take part in an historical and moving commemoration of Ernest de Regge in St Flannan's Cathedral. We performed his Mass in honour of Blessed Oliver Plunkett which was last performed at an Outside broadcast by RTE in 1947. This was a very rare event for Radio in that era and shows how well regarded he was at the time. It was a marvellous to be part of the group which reintroduced Ernest's music to his adopted home town. We were all pleased with the response and the size of the audience and were pleased to get it done.

St Flannans Cathedral

Donagh and Eanna warm up. This was just after Eanna played

Purcell's Trumpet Voluntary from memory

Donagh had put so much effort and skill and music and learning into editing the manuscript of the Mass ( and it really was a manscript with scribbles and ambiguities and all) and turned it into a coherent score. I hope he was pleased with the result. I think we were anyway. It is lovely music to sing and we all really enjoyed it.

Anxious moments before recording begins. Donagh calms Barry

Practice makes perfect we hope

Of course the amount of work required was quite a lot but we have proved in the past that all we need is a challenge. We had one and we rose to the occasion.. I know this sounds very bumptious but we are proud to have taken part in what was, I believe, a significant musical event. After the Mass we went to An Danlann where we took part in a concert of Ernest's music with our old friend Michael Hennessy, the Soprano Mary O Brien and the most beautifull School Choir in the World. I have never seen so many stunning young women all gathered under the baton of Carmel and so pleasant and polite and perfectly behaved. There is nothing to worry about for the future if these girls are typical of modern youth.

The Colaiste Choir wait patiently

Apart from the drive from 'Scorthy to Ennis on Friday evening which was like the Road to Hell and Back we were well looked after in the Old Ground Hotel. In fact the whole weekend was an other triumph of organisational brilliance by Annette as her swan song as Secretary. It was like being looked after by a besotted mother hen who anticipated all our wants and made sure we didnt have to ask. Congrats Annette on a terrific job.

Trisha, Bernie, Brian Rob, Annette and Larry



Socially we excelled ourselves as usual. The less said about the Friday night the better. Suffice it to say that we were all on parade at Danlann on Saturday at 2 .oopm ready to go. We had a long day as we were recording carols and motets with the School Choir. On to the Cathedral where we practiced again and sang at the very impressive Mass in lovely acoustic surroundings. Without a break we belted back to Danlann to sing in the Commemorative Concert for Earnest and the other poor folk who died in the Carmody Hotel Disaster 50 years ago. We were, it has to be admitted, beginning to feel the pace but after a slightly wobbly start we got going and responded to the warm welcoming athmosphere. During the Concert, Earnest's daughter, Ghislaine, who lives in Texas and had flown specially to arrive that day to attend the Concert, shared some of her memories of her father and Ennis of 50 years ago. A real family moment which we felt priveledged to be part of.



Dinner with the Regge sisters

After the mulled wine and delicious mince pies reception in the School we went for supper to the Town Hall joined again by Earnest's daughters. Then on again to the Party Room where tired and all as we said we were we sang on again for an other hour before starting the party pieces. Garry was in fine form on the Trumpet and our chief Groupie Jimmy produced his guitar to great effect. I looked at my watch and it was midnight. Time for bed. A few more songs and I looked at my watch again and it was 3.ooam. Time for bed again but not before our new chum Paddy Demery gave us a stirring version of Linden Lea.

My charming dinner companions Vanessa Breda and Eileen

Well done everyone.

Great w

Big Night in St Mary's on Saturday

We were back in HQ on last Saturday night for the our first major event of the year namely the Fund Raiser for the Restoration Funds of St Mary's and St Senan's. No pictures to show yet as I am waiting for Rory to send me some of his snaps. It was a huge success and went well as far as the almost sell out audience were concerned (What they dont know wont hurt them.) In fact it went well for us too and we were all delighted with the reponse, particularly to the de Regge pieces which we are preparing for the next big day on the 6th December in Ennis. More of that anon. Back to Saturday night.
The Concert Sub Committee of Annette McCarthy, Eileen McAuley and Sheila Farrell had really pulled out all the stops and the place was packed. Even the ArchDeacon saod he had never seen the place so full. So well done ladies.
We started with the Wexford Youth Orchestra and Wexford Junior Strings under their conductor, the delightful Emily Redmond, whose committment and dedication were obvious in the performance of her charges. With Mark Ennett as their Leader they played with spirit and accuracy and were a joy to hear, so much so that the audience joined in the Radetsky March. They surely have a great future and we all wish them well in their trip to Prague. Not only is Emily all the above but she also sold a HUGE number of tickets and was help up to the rest of us as an example to be followed.
Pianist Mick Hennessy brought his latest combo, Jazzical, a very talentd group which consists of himself and his son John on drums, Conor McCarthy on Bass and Flautist Tanya Fritschi. They played the very popular Suite for Jazz Trio and Flute which was written by Claude Bolling for JP Rampal. Rampal is famous as the man who singlehandedly restored the solo flute to the popularity it had enjoyed in the 18th Century. He was the original man with the legendary Golden Flute which he had bought in three different parts from different people and recombined after many years of seperation. It is said that part of his attraction was the fact that he was a very large man playing a very small flute with great sensitivity. Jazzical did a great job and we look forward to seeing them again in Ennis next Month.
The Choir did three sets, the middle one being a selection of pieces by Ernest de Regge from a Mass which he composed in honour of St Oliver Plunkett. Donagh Wylde our MD has been editing and preparing Regges music for performance and publication after a long period of neglect and this was the first ocasion in 50 years that the music was heard in public. The response was gratifying with the Sanctus getting the biggest Hand of the night. Bodes well for our celebration Mass and Concert in St Flannan's Cathedral in Ennis on the 6th December.
The evening finished traditionally with a knees up in the Bailey where I am reliably informed the the singing went on till 4.00. Very Good.

New Season 2008

Oh No

I have just wiped the whole bloody thing off.

Back to work. You can see how earnest and dedicated we are all looking at the start of the season

START AGAIN

Here we are back again for another year. Everyone seems to be full of enthusiasm and energy and really up for another great year. We have had some great times in the past few years and lets hope we can continue our winning ways. Of course winning isent everything as we knew back in the old days but now that we have started we hope to continue.

There is a great athmosphere around the choir. We have a lot of new members. We managed to capture a few new and very good basses ( welcome lads).

Our three new Basses, Donal McCarthy and Paddy Demery in front and Andrew McHugh in the row behind with Garry McCauley who is not a new member.

And this is a shot of the new faces in the Altos and Sopranos. At the back Miriam Finnegan is an Alto and Catherine Byrne has joined the Sopranos. In front Roisin Dawson and Antoinette Doyle are additions to the Alto Section. It is great to see a bit of new blood and we look forward to hearing your party pieces when we go touring.

You will notice we have a very strict policy of sexual segregation for new members. They are generally not allowed to mix until at least December.

We have a good programme for the year starting with a concert in aid of the Building Funds of our good friends in St Mary's and St Senan's. This is due in November and will feature the new Mick Hennessy Outfit. Anyone who was in the Golf Club a couple of years ago will remember the superb musicianship of his Tango Trio. Well, he's back with an expanded group to play some good jazz.

I think our most important project this year and one close to Donagh's heart is to perform in a Centenary Memorial Mass and a Concert featuring the music of Ernest De Regge. He was a Belgian Church Organist who came to Ireland in the 1920's and who spent most of his career as Choir Master in St Flannan's Cathedral in Ennis where Donagh came under his influence. He was a very well regarded musician by his fellow professionals and he composed a large amount of both Sacred and secular music. His wonderful music is only now becoming well known as it is edited and released by Donagh who has many of his manuscripts.

Our enthusiasm is largely caused by the fresh and lovely music which we are learning for this event. I think everyone is pleased with it and looking forward to singing it. We ahve a few other pieces by de Regge in our repertoir and while they can be difficult to learn at times they are worth the effort.

Finally a few pictures of the Choir hard at work

Guilty Start

That's what I gave when I realised how long it is since I wrote anything in the blog. We have been working away seemingly endlessly for the Big Gig in Wexford in June. After a slightly iffy start we have come to some sort of terms with Harbourings and now like it a lot. It really does grow on you and as we learn more about it we appreciate it more. There is some lovely music in it and it is becoming a joy to sing.
It has been an interesting experience with new people taking us thru the music, each in their individual way. My respect for all of them increases as I begin to realise just how many balls they are keeping in the air during any performance. I read somewhere that it is actually impossible to do all the things that need to be done in a musical performance....... but, still, they do it.
As the weather improves and the sun shines it is harder and harder to force yourself to rehearsal but it will be worth while in the end.

Back Again

A studious bunch in Arklow

Its been quite a while since I last posted anything but I have been very busy with family matters since before Christmas. We have had births and marriages ( not the same People). I have become a Grandfather and my wife has become a Grandmother at exactly the same time. My youngest daughter got married in India in January so I have been otherwise occupied.
But now we are getting back to normal and the best way to reground was to travel to Arklow Music Festival last Sunday to take our usual part in the sacred Music and the Light Entertainment Competitions. This is our 12th or 13th attendance at Arklow and we have always enjoyed it even if we havent always shone. At the very least we deserve the Best Attendance prize.
We sang beautifully in rehearsal but a little accident kept us out of the winner's enclosure in the Sacred Music. We immediately followed into the Light Entertainment with "Africa" an ANC battle song collected in Sydney and arranged by Donagh and "Blue Moon" the great Rodgers and Hart standard. We were so fired up at that stage that we nearly blew the adjudicators out of their Chairs and they just had to give us the First Prize, the Pat Bonner Cup which we have now won on three occasions.

After that it was back to Enniscorthy for a real old style celebration. Just like the old days.
We are now starting to concentrate on our Summer Project " Harbourings" by Ian Wilson. This has been specially composed as the Artistic Element of an EU Funded Infrastructure Scheme. Now doesent that sound much better then the Carcur Main Drainage Scheme Anthem ? The EU insists that 1% of the budget of these scemes should be assigned to cultural and artistic activities and a very good idea it is too although it sometimes has unexpected results. For example, the dreadful scaffolding Bird which lurks on the right bank of the Slaney piddling soap suds just above the new bridge is the enforced artistic element of that bridge. The fact that it is wrongly placed and has nothing to do with the Artist's vision is important because it becomes an anti artistic and anti cultural icon if it is not treated correctly. The original concept was to place the sculpture in the River between the two bridges where it could use the water plumes to suggest feathers and cover it's ghastly naked skeleton. WCC please take note as I intend to return to decry this monstrosity often
I can't finish without paying a heart felt compliment to Councillor Sean Og Doyle who has fought our corner in the Council for as long as the Choir has existed. He has always supported the Choir as a Community Resource and this has resulted in a generous grant to the Choir from the Art Fund of the Council.
Thanks, Sean.