Red song rising in Thomond

SPORT and music have always been intrinsically linked. Every weekend a chorus of chants rings out from sporting grounds all over the country, bringing fans together in song.
But of course when it comes to Munster, the supporters of the Red Army take this to a whole other level. Three years ago the Munster Supporters’ Club set out to start their own choir.
Since then, the choir has gone from strength to strength, performing not only at matches both at home and abroad, but also appearing on The Late Late Show, at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympic National Games and also a recent triumphant concert at the University Concert Hall.
Of the club’s 43 members, a quarter of the singers hail from Clare. The dedicated members travelling each week to Charleville from Clare for rehearsals are: bass Tom Byrne from Kilkee and Patrick Meaney from Lissycasey; tenors Danny Ryan from Parteen and Dave Rofe from Newmarket-on-Fergus; sopranos Helena Joy from O’Briensbridge and Michelle Darcy from Clonlara and altos Noreen Ahern, Meelick; Liz O’Connor, Inagh; Nollie McCarthy, Quin; Therese Hunt, Meelick and Maire Hanrahan from Lahinch.
Musical director of the choir Anita Mahon said, “We have a wide spread of members from all over the province, and I think that’s what makes the choir unique, it adds a lovely dimension. I think that’s what’s unique about Munster, because we do represent a province.”
She recalls how the choir first came about. “There was an idea within the club that it would be lovely to have a choir and it was put out to the members. Ellen Fitzmaurice was one of the first to respond and she’s been a driving force along with Joe Gleeson and Joe Binchy. They went looking for a musical director, they needed somebody with an eclectic mix. I was watching Munster play one day and I was just thinking to myself did they ever think about setting up a choir. Within a few hours I got an email back.
“I admitted to them I was actually from Wexford,” she smiles, “but that I was a sports fan and I always respected the ethic of the Munster team, the passion and the drive. For me, sports is a complete performance, it’s theatre. It had
always struck me in Thomond Park how they sang with such fervour, but when O’Gara got up there would be silence, it’s pure theatre.
“When I was young my neighbour had a famous rugby pub called the Antique Tavern in Enniscorthy. The Welsh used to come over off the boat and literally camp out there, they never made it to Lansdowne Road. There I was, a little child sitting in the back kitchen listening to four and six part male voice choirs and it gave me chills, I think I got the bug then,” she added.
The choir started rehearsing the standard rugby anthems such as The Is An Isle and The Fields of Athenry. Then they were invited to perform at one of the biggest events in Munster’s history, the opening of the new Thomond Park when Munster played the All Blacks.
Since then the choir have become an important part of the pre-match entertainment for all the team’s home matches.
“Singing on the pitch in Thomond Park is a very, very special experience. It’s the hallowed ground; it’s what it’s all about. Match days are always special for anyone interested in Munster rugby. Going to Thomond Park is like nothing else you experience. To be on the pitch is an extraordinary honour. Everytime you are out there it’s different, it’s always unique. Live performance is like that, but being on the pitch is a different level and not many people have that experience,” says Anita.
She praises the commitment of the choir’s membership.
“We have people travelling from all over the province to get to rehearsals in Charleville, for people travelling from West Clare they are on the road for hours every week. Our members work very hard, we respect the performance so much and we are so proud of the team and when we put the crest on we want to do them proud. There is a real respect for the team and for the supporters club because we are representing them.”
Each month the choir learn new pieces, learning songs not only in English but also many other languages such as Irish, Welsh and Maori. They even performed the South African national anthem, which has four languages, at the FAI friendly match between Ireland and South Africa in Thomond Park.
“We have a very broad repertoire. Thomond Park has such a mixed bag in the crowd that we decided to have a mixed repertoire, opera, pop, contemporary, classics and all with a sporting theme of course.”
The choir have even developed a relationship with the Osprey’s choir in Wales. “We’re united by music and rugby but when we’re on the pitch it’s a different ball game,” she laughs.
Welsh choirs are renowned the world over, but Anita believes that the Munster singers can certainly hold their own against them. “We have a great linguist Aodan Ó Laoire and it’s down to him we’ve held our own against Welsh choirs singing in Welsh,” she says.
In March the choir decided to move off the pitch and into the University Concert Hall for the first time. As well as singing their own songs, they performed alongside sopranos Jean Wallace and Cara O’Sullivan.
“The response was so extraordinary that we will have to do it again. We have some ideas, there is certainly a lot of hard work in staging it and we’re very grateful to the organising committee,” she says.
“The show celebrated a fusion of two great cultures, sport and music. There is something about the two cultures that is really exuberant and passionate and fires people’s spirits, and when they are combined it just is a really dynamic combination. The show was very uplifting and quite inspiring. Music has that kind of passion. Munster Rugby Supporters Club concerts are not ones where you just sit back, there is a lot of passion and fervour.”
There are now plans to bring the choir to competitions. Depending on the Munster team’s performances on the pitch, they are hoping for a long season of singing.
“If we do well in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup hopefully there will be a few home semi-finals which will be very special occasions. We are really grateful to Munster Rugby for their support and the supporters club for their encouragement over the last few years,” she says.