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24 Oct 2025
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24 Oct 2025
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Clonmel’s latest choir had its first rehearsal on Wednesday last in the White Memorial Theatre, and once again the theatre came alive to the wonderful sound of happy voices singing after a very difficult two years of the sound of silence.
Overwhelmed by the wonderful positive response that the announcement of this new choir has received, the committee of St Mary’s Choral Society is now ploughing ahead with preparations for the choir to take part in the AIMS Choral Festival in New Ross in May with further events being planned also.
Clonmel has always had a great reputation and history of music and choral singing. Back in 1940, Fr Tom Smyth, popular curate in St Mary’s Church in Irishtown, recommended to the St Mary’s Parish Hall Committee the formation of a male voice choir to render carols in the streets of the town.
Happily for Clonmel music lovers, the idea was received with enthusiasm, although no one dreamed at that stage that the seed so hopefully sown would blossom into a flower of national renown that is St Mary’s Choral Society.
82 years on, as the society regroups after two years of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the committee felt there was perhaps an opening for another choir in the town, this one connected to the society, and the committee were absolutely delighted by the response this announcement has received.
“We are absolutely thrilled at the wonderful response we have had to the announcement of the formation of the choir and to hear singing in the theatre again has just been so wonderful,” a delighted society PRO Ruth Butler told The Nationalist.
Membership of the choir is open to anyone who wishes to get involved and everybody was delighted last Wednesday to see so many familiar as well as new faces. Rehearsals continue each Wednesday night at 7.30pm in the White Memorial Theatre under the musical direction of Mary Rose McNally.
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