Last August in St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Youghal, a packed audience witnessed a superb evening of music hosted by the Epping Forest Band from Essex in England under  the direction of Denis Desmond, a local Youghal man now residing the the UK.
Denis and his colleagues were delighted to have been able to donate proceeds form the concert in the sum of €2,028 to ACT (Aid Cancer Treatment) at Cork University Hospital on Sep 2nd and would like to thank the very generous support of the people and friends of Youghal.

Also participating in the concert were a number of local musicians: The Killeagh Choir, members of the Youghal Pipe Band and a bodhran player. The variety of sounds, music and comedy elements entertained the appreciative audience for almost 3 hours.

The band told www.youghalonline.com that they had a wonderful weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality extended to them in Youghal. Well done to Denis and the Desmond family, The Epping Forest Band and all the musicians and volunteers who took part in the wonderful concert and the generous donation to this worthy cause.

Denis Desmond, who is originally from Youghal, now living in the U.K. had a dream.   As a member of the Epping Forest Band it was his boyhood dream to some day come back to his home town and put on a concert in St Mary’s Collegiate Church, where he had played happily with his friends as a child.   Denis himself is a cancer survivor, and his wish was that all proceeds of the concert would be donated to Cancer Research. Denise FitzGerald Reports Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com

Denis decided it was time his dream a reality.  After all, the Epping Forest Brass Band have had great critical acclaim in Europe, and his hopes were that it would be an evening of music from many genres.   Thus, contact was made with the Killeagh Choir and Youghal Pipe Band, both of whom were delighted to accept the invitation to play in St Mary’s with the Epping Forest Brass band.

On Saturday last, August 29th,  all three groups of musicians and singers came together in the magnificent St Mary’s Collegiate Church where, to a packed attendance, they brought tears to many an eye with their moving and heart warming performances.

Denis Desmond had a dream, a dream that he made come true, and the fulfilment of that dream brought to the people of Youghal an enchanting evening, never to be forgotten.
Click on image to see the concert in St. Mary’s Collegiate Church Youghal

By Christy Parker | Photo Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com)

The renowned Killeagh Choir will perform Part 1 (Advent and Christmas stories plus the Hallelujah Chorus) of Handel’s Messiah at the local St. John the Baptist Church on Sunday and Monday next (Dec 14/15th). It will be the first group’s first time attempting the complicated work. The concert is being organised by local producer Mary Pedder Daly, who will also conduct the performance.

Killeagh’s 45 strong choir is drawn from across East and West Cork and even into Co. Tipperary. The Messiah will feature Tenor Robert Beare from Bandon, Michael McGowan (Bass, also Bandon), Sopranos Angela Hartnett Davis (Conna), Winnie Daly O’Connor (Killeagh) and altos Theresa O’Sullivan (Whitechurch) and Geraldine Landers (Killeagh)

The Messiah is a presentation of Jesus’ life and its significance, according to Christian doctrine. It’s content is drawn from Old Testament, Prophets’ and Jewish chronicles and much controversy and difficulty surrounded its premiere in Dublin in 1742. Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Jonathan Swift had temporarily cancelled and insisted it be renamed A Sacred Oratorio, to lessen blasphemous overtones. No such difficulties are predicted for the Killeagh production!

The choir hopes to perform Part 2 (Christ’s Passion, Resurrection, Ascension) at the 170 year-old Church next Easter. Meantime Christmas performances are Read more