Scoil Mhuire girls to raise the roof with carols

PUPILS at Scoil Mhuire in Ennistymon will help everyone get into the Christmas spirit this weekend as they hold a festive evening of music and song at St Michael’s Church on Sunday.
The 100-member Scoil Mhuire choir will perform songs from their debut CD, A Shining Night, backed by an instrumental ensemble at their recital from 8pm.
Carols are an essential part of the Christmas experience for many people and with that in mind the choir, along with special guests, will combine their talents to present a concert of familiar and new carols, directed by Patricia Dooley.
A spokesperson for the choir outlined, “The sound of Christmas carols sung by a talented school choir is an important and familiar part of Christmas and there is nothing quite like the warmth of the sound of pure voices filling this beautiful church. In Ennistymon, the tradition of the Scoil Mhuire carol recital is well developed and refined over the years and has become an important community event.
“Since the first carol recital was performed many years ago, it has since grown into a beloved Christmas tradition held biannually. This year, the carol recital retains a tradition of warmth and unique timelessness with an uplifting presentation.
“Solo artists will include respected sopranos and past pupils of the school, Kate Daly, Gráinne Curtin, Ailbhe Howard and Aisling Davies, while the smooth bass tones of Micheal Mulqueeny are set to delight the audience with his rendition of Adeste Fideles,” she added.
Boys from the nearby Ennistymon CBS will also perform at the concert. Other carols to be performed on the night include The Cloud Song, One Child, Jamaican Noel, Carol of the Bells, In the Bleak Mid-Winter and O Holy Night, which never fails to lift the spirit and cheer the mind.
The sound of the Scoil Mhuire Christmas carol recital has also been recorded on CD. A Shining Night was recorded in 2008 and features a combined chorus of the school choir with special performances from Marie Hegarty, Kate Daly, Micheal Mulqueeny, Teresa Garrihy and Maretta O’Hehir.
“This is an exceptionally beautiful recording. The carols and the arrangements chosen, the performances and the engineering are all beyond reproach.
“The soloists are exemplary and the young voices of Scoil Mhuire give the carols that angelic purity and other-worldly quality that seems a speciality of the school choir. The acoustic of St Michael’s Church is exceptionally well caught, large, live and reverberant when filled with the heavenly echoes of the carolling sounds,” she continued.
Included on the track list are Joy to the World, Silent Night, Carol of the Bells, Have yourself a Merry little Christmas and Away in a Manger.
“Carols are one aspect of the holiday season that never fail to lift the spirit. It’s easy to get caught up in holiday events, such as office parties, visits to Santa or doing last-minute Christmas shopping.
“As exciting as these events are, it’s important to maintain one’s sanity by carving out some time for moments of reflection and there is no better way to achieve this than to unwind in a true, spiritually uplifting celebration of Christmas,” the spokesperson concluded.
The carol service takes place on Sunday at 8pm. For further information or to order the CD, contact 065 7071224.