Tag Archives: Carpe Diem

A GRAND finale to a musical initiative to honour to young musicians will be held on March 11 in Gort.  The Eimear Noonan Music Bursary Award was established five years ago by the family of the inspirational young musician, who died in France in 2017. A Carpe Diem concert was also held annually in Eimear’s memory. That event was originally conceived by Katharina Baker and Fiona Buckley of Coole Music to honour Eimear’s memory and celebrate her participation in the School of Music, particularly in her role as leader of the Youth Orchestra. On the night of Saturday, March 11 at 7.30pm in O’Sullivan’s Hotel, Carpe Diem Forever, will offer an opportunity to celebrate Eimear’s memory and legacy, the music she made, and the many emerging young players that she supporter and inspired.  “The initiative was originally conceived of to remember our Eimear, but later included another young musician friend, Eli Murray, who died suddenly from Juvenile diabetes in 2019,” …

SPRING is here, restrictions are lifted and music performers everywhere are ready and excited to rise and shine. The annual Carpe Diem (Rise and Shine) concert makes a welcome return after its Covid-induced hiatus. The brainchild of Coole Music School’s director, Katharina Baker, Carpe Diem is the theme for a series of commemorative fundraising concerts in memory of Eimear Noonan, and Eli Murray, two avid young musicians, who died tragically in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The 2021 concert, postponed due to ongoing pandemic concerns, will now be staged in Gort on Saturday, April 2, in Sullivan’s Hotel, at 7.30pm. This uplifting concert entitled Carpe Diem, Rise and Shine, celebrates a return to performing live music by young people and spans many genres. Seasoned performers of traditional and contemporary music, joining the young people, will enhance the proceedings. Irish conductor Sinead Hayes is usually found working with choir, orchestra and operas but on April 2 she will be present as master …

A SUPER talented New Quay family have scooped the top prize on TG4’s Réalta agus Gaolta, fighting off competition from across the country and wowing judges with their unique interpretation of The Cranberries ‘Zombie’. The Farrell family will receive a €2,000 cash prize following their win and are said to be on Cloud 9 after their success. Nineteen-year-old Shónagh, who is a student of French and Music at University College Dublin (UCD) and a singer and violinist, was described by her mum Ellie as the “musical director” of the family. “They wouldn’t take any advice at all from myself or Brian,” she laughed. “We were banned from the process! Shónagh would spend lots of time adapting different pieces to suit their style and there results have been fantastic.” Judges, including Irial Ó Ceallaigh and Sinéad Ní Uallacháin were blown away by the performance of Muintir Farrell across the course of the show, and other performances included a hugely popular version …

THE winners of the Eimear Noonan Music Bursary Awards have been announced following a hugely successful virtual Carpe Diem Sing and Play Challenge which raised funds to support the initiative. Sarah Hannify is a violist from Galway and currently studying a BMus at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She was one of those who received the happy news this month that she was selected as one of two winners of an Award of Excellence for 2020-21. She has been playing the viola since the age of four and has been a dedicated member of numerous local and national orchestras as well as a member of Welsh and Scottish National Youth Orchestras. The other Award of Excellence winner is Siobhán Brady, a young harpist from Limerick who has been announced as the other recipient of an Award of Excellence. Siobhán is an accomplished and experienced harpist on both the Irish level and pedal concert harp. She is currently a third-year …