Contest windfall for Kilcuan

Kilcuan Retreat Centre in Clarinbridge will receive a windfall in the coming weeks after more than 700 people came out to support a fundraising event recently.

The Marine Institute Singers were singing on high after winning the top prize in the first ever Galway Choirfactor Competition, which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel.

Directed by Carmel Dooley, the choir saw off stiff competition from GUH Choral Society, the NUI Singers, The Medtronic Chorale, HP’s Harmonic Phonics and the Galway Golf Club Choir to claim the Choirfactor trophy.

Adjudicators for the competition Brendan O’Connor, Maire Ni Dhuibhir and Julie Feeney congratulated the Marine Institute Singers for their award winning performance and applauded all the choirs for the very high standard of choral singing.

Specially formed for the Choirfactor Competition, the Marine Institute Singers are delighted with their success and are immensely proud of their achievement on their first public performance.

Choir director, Carmel Dooley paid tribute to the 19 singers, who came together just six weeks ago to take part in this event. “I am delighted and thrilled to bits that the Marine Institute Singers won this award. They have worked extremely hard over the past six weeks to prepare for the performance,” said Carmel, an experienced choral conductor and public relations consultant based in Galway. I would also like to thank our accompanist Jackie Lillis, who accompanied not one but four choirs performing at this event and worked with each conductor to support the choirs in their performances this evening.

The Marine Institute Singers received a specially commissioned trophy and all choirs received a framed certificate and inscribed memento of the occasion.

Organised by the Corrib Lions Club as a fundraising initiative for Kilcuan Retreat Centre in Clarinbridge, the event attracted over 700 people.

Corrib Lions Club president, Liam Bluett, paid tribute to the six choirs and the choir directors for their dedication and commitment to the novel initiative. “Their conductors Seamus Leonard, Peter Mannion, Eoin Grealish, Liz Johnston, Pat Lillis and Carmel Dooley worked extremely hard over the past eight weeks to create a show stopping performance.”

Funds raised from the competition will be used to enable a wide variety of groups such as carers, elderly people, multiple sclerosis sufferers, people living with cancer and those bereaved by suicide to benefit from healing therapies and wellbeing workshops in Kilcuan Retreat Centre.