Kilrush Town heard again

LAST Thursday night an old Kilrush song, Kilrush Town by Fr John Considine, was performed in Teach Cheoil by fifth-class pupils from St Senan’s National School (trained by Linda O’Gorman); An Banna Ceoil (trained by Bríd O’Mahony) and a group from Kilrush Community School.

Eighty-six-year-old Kitty Leahy was present at the performance and she had a particular interest in the song. Aged just seven in 1932, Kitty was a member of her school choir at the Convent of Mercy in Kilrush. In fact, the choir won the cup for the Plain Chant in the Killaloe Diocese in that era.
Kitty, along with her school friends in that choir, were among the first to be taught Kilrush Town. The song was written by Fr John Considine, who was from the town but after his ordination he served in Sydney all of his working life. He was one of four children of Patrick and Elizabeth Considine. Patrick Considine worked as Kilrush town engineer in the late 1800s.
In 1932, Fr John visited Kilrush for his sister Isabel’s funeral and it was during this visit that he wrote Kilrush Town. He passed it on to Sister Mary Augustine, who taught the infant class at Kilrush Convent of Mercy.
Kitty Leahy and her classmate, Maura Howard, were often asked to sing the song for visitors who came to the school.
As the years flew by Kitty was concerned that the song had been forgotten. Earlier this year, with the help of Bríd O’Mahony, she recorded the song, which was subsequently taught to the fifth-class pupils at St Senan’s National School. A traditional music night held last week in Teach Ceoil, which doubled as fundraiser for an orphanage in Malawi, featured the song as the main event.
The fifth-class pupils also made a presentation to Kitty for passing on the song to them.