In Reply to: re: Memotries of Christmas in Castlebar posted by on the fence on December 30, 2009 at 06:07:35:

"How beautiful upon the mountain' That anthem brings back wonderful memories of singing in my own parish choir. Written by that remarkable Irish Victorian composer Charles Villiers Stanford and who also wrote other enthralling religeous works for the organ, including many evening canticles. What joys to sing when the lights were low and the wind howling around the church. His morning mass in c maj and f maj are two very beautiful settings and are still performed to day. Deeply devotional and well worth trying to perform by any church choir as indeed is another piece by7 this great composer - 'How Beauteous are their feet who stood on Sion's hill. Fr.Shannon must have been a very competent choir trainer, Do these guys still exist? The chap who taught me many years ago has only recently passed away.

The debt I and others owed him in teaching us lads the mysteries of music is incalculable. May he rest in peace.