Nenagh Choral Society's 70th anniversary committee. Back row (from left): Greg Browne, Colin Dillon, Ger McCarthy, Gerry Scanlon, Patrick Kelly, Michael Cormack, Billy McNamara. Front: Marese Dolan-Hutchinson, Niamh Chadwick, Maire Long, Margaret McGee, Theresa Harney, Sharon Kelly, Susan Cunneen.

Nenagh Choral Society celebrates 70 years

Published: Wed 22 May 2019, 10:22 AM

Last updated: Wed 22 May 2019, 11:25 AM

Nenagh Choral Society celebrated 70 years with a trip down memory lane in a night of song from some of the greatest shows staged.

For the last few months, Nenagh Choral Society have been digging through their archives and those of the Nenagh Guardian to take a trip down memory lane through photographs, articles, video and sound clips from over the last 70 years. Their findings will all be on display in the Scouts Hall on the night of their 70th anniversary concert on Saturday, May 25th.

As part of this celebration concert, NCS will see current and past members take to the stage with a selection of numbers from some of ‘The Greatest Shows’ staged by NCS over the last 70 years. We will see a choir along with current members of the Society and Youth Academy, Gerry Scanlon, Niamh Chadwick, Stephanie Browne, Paddy Rohan Jr, Grace Shesgreen, Colin Dillon, Jack McGrath, Caroline Browne, Maire Long and Patrick Kelly take us back through some of the more recently staged shows.

However, we will also see the return of past members to take us on a journey back through the years to their time on stage with NCS, some performing songs that they would have originally sung on stage. We at NCS are honoured to see the return of Ann Spain, Sheila Chadwick, Willie O'Brien, Donald Swan, Paul Shesgreen, Kirsty Burns, Zelda Dillon, Erica Flannagan-Walsh, Laura Kearney, Paul Browne, Alannah Shesgreen and Dylan Rooney - and we're delighted that they have taken the time to come and celebrate this momentous occasion with us.

Nenagh Choral Society has enjoyed two lives. In the Nenagh Guardian of March 12th 1949 an advert drew attention to a meeting to be held in Loreto Hall on Friday 18th with a view to forming ‘an Operatic Society’. This was duly done. Fr John Hayes was elected chairman, Tom Brophy secretary and Noreen Hayes treasurer. Bobby O’Connell was appointed Musical Director and the first show staged in the Scouts Hall - then called 'The New Hall' - was Lionel Monkton’s ‘The Quaker Girl’. It ran for five nights between May 22nd and 26th, returning on May 29th ‘by public demand’.

There was no show in ’50 but in ’51 the choral society returned with 'The Belle of New York' after which followed 'Show Boat', and 'Desert Song'.
Financial diï¬ƒculties saw the curtain fall in 1958 and despite several attempts to revive the Society, it didn’t happen. So to 1970 in what would be the start of 49 years of annual productions since, the torch was relit by Tom Brophy, Sean Meagher, George Maher, Billy Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Touhy and Teddy Morgan (who joins us as part of our anniversary ensemble) whom on reviving the society quickly ensured that Nenagh Choral Society was back in the lights.

So here we are in our 70th year since first and what better way to celebrate than through song in our forever home of the Scouts Hall.

Tickets for this event are currently on sale Monday – Friday from the Box Office in the Scouts Hall, priced at €20, or you can call 086-3122725.