A singer proud of her street and town

"THERE has always been a lot of talent in Athlone town, in music, drama and football, and if I might say, my own home terrace of Sarsfield Square, hasn't been behind the door in producing great talent," said popular local singer, Brenda McMonagle. Brenda is a true local talent, who grew up doing local street shows of music and dance in Sarsfield Square, and became a stalwart singer in the Tops of the Town competitions of the late 70's and early 80's. She has sung on all Athlone stages and many ones throughout the county and beyond as well. Brenda, is a mother of four children, Tracey, Darren, Alan and Kerrie, and still lives in her home terrace, where she still enjoys music, with her friends and family. Brenda is also a grandmother to Tracey's son, Aaron. She grew up in the terrace, close to her grandparents, Dinny and Kay Dunican, and it was in their house during childhood Christmases that she listened to Dinny on the button accordion or mouth organ, and to her beautiful, but now sadly deceased mother, May, playing the spoons. May McMonagle, who died young in 1986, was a huge inspiration to all her children. May, alongside other Sarsfield Square residents, Michael Dowling and Nancy Curley collected money weekly from the residents, in the mid-1970's, to help construct the building, which is now called St. Brendan's Community Centre. May was a staunch worker for the Sarsfield Square community, and along with neighbour Anita Burke founded the Athlone Majorettes in 1979. Brenda and her sister Dolores joined the Majorettes, and were part of an initial group of about 40 girls at the beginning. May worked on fundraising and worked for hours making costumes, and Anita choreographed the majorettes' dances and some army lads, MJ Stewart, Jim Crawford and Christy Barr took on the role of teaching the girls how to march. The Athlone Majorettes became popular throughout the midlands and took part in various parades and at the Ballinasloe fair and appeared as guests in a few Big Top Production musicals and at the Vintage Car week in Birr. "I remember you couldn't get into the old sitting room in the house with material all over the place," said Brenda. "Mammy would sit there for hours sewing on sequins on the green dresses, which went with the white hats. Later we used the red dresses and cowboy boots. She was brilliant, but we sometimes forgot she sometimes wasn't well." Brenda was still in the Athlone Technical School when she was asked by her friend and neighbour, Ray Collins, to get involved in charity shows in the Dean Crowe Hall. She became a regular singer on that circuit for almost three decades, and it is something she still returns to occasionally. Brenda is one of three daughters of her late parents May and Danny McMonagle. Her first sister, Cynthia died at six weeks old, and her other sister is Dolores, who sang with Brenda in many Athlone shows. Brenda has four brothers, Denis, Seamus, Danny and Mark. Brenda's father, Danny was a member of the Defence Forces all his life, and he played football as a centre-half for Athlone Town. She was barely in national school, when she sat with her sister on railway planks in the stands of St. Mel's Park while their father was playing football. Unfortunately her mother, May was usually sick at home during these occasions. "But my mother would still work hard in the community centre in Sarsfield, when we'd be putting on shows there for the people of the area," she said. While she was in the Bower National School, Brenda was part of the Feile Ceoil tin whistle and singing contests which took place in the Dean Crowe Hall. While in the Athlone Technical School, Brenda was influenced by Mr. Naughton, who also got her involved in school shows at the time. She laughs now, when she remembers singing as a teenager, 'Phil the Fluters Ball' on a school stage in Killucan. "Dolores and myself won a singing competition in one of the shows that used to be held down in the Meadows, and we won £5, which was a fortune then," she said laughing. "To go anywhere back then though, I had to sneak out, and pretend I was going to bingo. Although my mother was very supportive. One time she was going to pay for me to have a record cut at Cha Nicholson's studio, but I wouldn't go, because it was a country and western number they wanted me to work on. I should have gone though." After she left school, Brenda went working in Dunnes Stores, where she became a household name and face, alongside her work on Athlone stages and music venues. "I got the offer of going to Dunnes or Athlone Apparel and I joined Dunnes, because I liked working with clothes, and I loved talking to everyone, and I know the whole town today because of that," she said laughing. "People used to come in after mass and give myself and some of the other girls, currant buns. They were great days, and I stayed there nearly sixteen years." It was during her Dunnes years that she got involved with Tops of the Town for several different groups, and was one of the most popular singers in the shows. It helped build a confidence in her, as a singer, and as an individual. "Things were different then, the town was very small, and I was very shy, and when I worked in Dunnes, that was my world and my friends were those who worked with me," she said. The legendary Tom Moore from the Batteries had a Variety Group for many years, and Brenda became a part of that group. Simultaneously she got involved with the Defence Forces group in Tops of the Town, and sang with them for many years. She also sang with a teenage variety group, Marbo, and with the Athlone Apparel group. Brenda says the big influences during those days for her was Harry Smith and Joe Duke with the Defences Forces shows, and Dermot and Margaret Kilduff with the Athlone Apparel, and of course Tom Moore. "There were great singers and musicians in those groups, and I sang an old Swarbriggs number, 'It's Nice To Be In Love Again', with my sister Dolores, and another girl, Brenda Bell, in the Apparel group," said Brenda laughing. "I sang the Abba number, 'Chiquettita' with Veronica Ryan from Assumption Road, and Dolores in a theatre in Limerick for Tops of the Town. I also sang with Liz Fletcher in the No Name Club in the Royal Hoey Hotel. They were great singers, and great local talent, and I sang all over the country with them." Brenda sang at Athlone venues with singers such as Paschal Brennan, who she credits with first bringing her onto the popular music circuit in the old Dell lounge bar, on Station Road. She followed local acts in town such as Sean Tierney and Woodstock, Noeleen Little and Twigs, Mardi Gras with PJ Stacey and Joe Byrne and the Stewart brothers from Sarsfield Square, and the Evergreens. Ironically, despite her denouncing country music early on, Brenda became influenced by the likes of Olivia Newton-John and John Denver. "All I ever wanted was to be a backing singer with a band like Boyzone, because I have a great love for harmony singing, but it didn't work out that way, and I was more forefront, but I would have loved that chance," she said. Interestingly, Brenda did get to cut a record, albeit many years later. She was asked by songwriter, Tommy Healey to perform his song, 'The Guardian Angel', at Basil Hendricks studio in Mount Temple. The song was part of an RTE competition for the World Cup, and while it didn't win, it kept Brenda in the loop of performing new material. "Sarsfield Square is oozing with talent in so many different ways, and a lot of us found those talents through being a majorette or with performing as kids in the Christmas shows in the community centre," said Brenda. "I always encourage young people with music talent to get involved in groups and community shows where they are going on."