Traditional Music Concert at Saint Patrick's De La Salle B.N.S.

A great afternoon was had by Second to Fifth Class pupils at the annual Saint Patrick's B.N.S. Traditional Music Concert on Friday 28th May. In a celebration of Irish music and culture, music was performed by pupils, teachers and special guest Tom Doherty (Foxford) on accordion.

Mr. McEvilly (fiddle) and Tom Doherty opened the concert with selections of Jigs and Reels. Noel Kilkenny's music class followed this with a variety of dance tunes, including Sackow's Jig and the Sliabh Mór Polka . The members of this group were Finnian Martin, Pzemek Majda, Stephen Martin, Adam Tuffy and Pádraic Waldron. Dara Ludden 3rd Class (accordion), in a duet with Tom Doherty, really added to the party atmosphere with their playing of the ‘Eagle's Whistle' March and the ever-popular ‘You are my Sunshine'.

The young audience became more actively engaged with the music, in a fun way, through the Music Rhythm Quiz. Pupils began to learn about the difference between a Jig and a Reel by matching the right phrase to the right tune; coffee-tea for jigs and black and decker for reels.

Later, we were treated to music of the highest quality by Darragh Dunleavy 6th Class, on banjo. He played a pair of lively jigs followed by an intricate and technically challenging version of ‘The Mason's Apron' Reel. Darragh showed great dexterity and skill. He made the difficult sound easy and just let the music shine through.

The Grand Finale to this happy occasion involved the loyal and dedicated musicians who played at school masses during the year. Too numerous to mention here, they joined Mr. McEvilly and Tom Doherty in a spirited rendition of Brian Boru's March and the ‘Maggie in the Wood/ Kerry Polka' selection. In a mood that mirrored the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the day, it was inspiring to hear the young audience cheerfully singing along as the musicians played the final strains of the Kerry Polka.