A Westmeath school choir was awarded the highest honour in the county after making national history with an All Island Championship win just a few weeks ago. On Monday evening last, Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, Cllr. Paddy Hill bestowed the county’s top accolade, an Address of Recognition, on Moate Community School Choir to honour their prestigious win in the All Island School Choir competition. The distinction is awarded to recognise outstanding achieve- ment, and Moate Community School Choir brought pride and glory to the county with their ground- breaking win at Belfast’s Titanic Centre in November of last year. “Moate Community School was one of 400 schools to apply to take part in the competition,” Cllr. Hill told the capacity crowd in the Atrium of the County Buildings on Monday evening.
IMPECCABLE
“In winning the All Island Schools Choir contest, Moate CS brought great credit to this county and their choir members are role models for young people. An impeccable performance brought about this amazing achievement,” said Cllr Hill in paying homage to the choir. “The choir has earned the respect of every citizen in Westmeath,” said Cllr. Hill in paying tribute to the choir, their teachers, the staff of the school, Principal Tom Lowry and the parents and families of the successful young people. The Musical Director at the school, Lorna Duignan, said that she and the choir were “humbled” by the honour being bestowed upon them. “Choir is part of the modus operandi of daily life at the school,” said Ms. Duignan of the thriving tradition of music at the south Westmeath campus. The strong foundation in musical excellence gave impetus to the journey towards All Island victory, a road that the school embarked upon last May.
It was a campaign that demanded sacrifice from those involved, with choir members giving up holiday time to rehearse and practice their performance. The success in the competition certainly benefitted from this focus and drive but the capability of the choir is not to be under-estimated. “These are some of the most talented pupils I have ever worked with,” said Ms. Duignan in saluting their victory. Ms. Duignan also paid tribute to Ciaran Brady, the vocal coach who worked with the choir, Giselle Foley and Anna Marie Farrell, of Moate Community School who also worked with the choir and whose influence played a significant role in their accomplishment. “None of it would have been possible without the support of the staff, Tom Lowry and the management team, the school community and the parents and families who enabled our success,” said Ms. Duignan. The win for Moate CS marked the first time in the six year history of the competition that a Community School lifted the All Island title.
COMPOSER IN RESIDENCE
It was a “wonderful and inspiring achievement,” said Chief Executive Officer with Westmeath County Council, Mr. Pat Gallagher. Mr. Gallagher announced that in recognition of the success, and in conjunction with Offaly and Westmeath Music Generation, the executive would sponsor a Composer in Residence scheme at Moate CS, offering a unique music residency at the school. Westmeath Arts Officer, Miriam Mulrennan, has worked closely with Moate Community School in recent weeks to establish the project. Principal of Moate CS, Mr Tom Lowry, said that it was a a great honour to accept the Council’s award. “Since our win, we have marvelled at the power of it. It is something we are immensely proud of and though we made history as the first Community School to achieve this and a no-one can take that from us, we hope that others will follow in our footsteps,’ said Mr. Lowry.
There were individual presentations to each member of the choir before the large crowd of family members and supporters from Moate, as well as Council staff and elected members, were treated to a moving performance by the nation’s premier school choir.
