Christmas in the air at Samaritans concert in Friary
"I know for a lot of people, especially younger people, Christmas starts with The Late Late Toy Show. But I can safely say that for me, and maybe many of you as well, Christmas starts tonight with the Samaritans concert."
Those were the words of MC Joe MacCarrick during the sold-out annual Samaritans Christmas concert in Athlone last Wednesday night.
The venue for the popular festive fundraiser was, as Joe put it, "the wonderful surroundings of Athlone Friary, a place synonymous with this event for many, many years."
And those who were unable to secure a ticket for the concert had the option of tuning into an excellent, multi-camera live-stream of the event which was broadcast on YouTube by the Midlands Polish Community's 'MPC-TV'. To date, the MPC-TV stream of the concert has been viewed more than 2,000 times on YouTube.
This was the 31st Samaritans Christmas concert in Athlone and it featured performances by the Defence Forces Band of the 2nd Brigade, directed by conductor Captain John Carpenter; Mezzo Soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain, Athlone A Cappella; and the Athlone Pipe Band.
Tickets for the event were released on November 6, and all were snapped up within ten days.
The night began with the Army Band of the 2nd Brigade striking up the National Anthem, which was followed by the seasonal overture from 'Miracle on 34th Street'.
The award-winning Athlone A Cappella choir, conducted by Hilary Roche, then delighted the audience with its performances of 'Ding Dong Merrily on High', 'The Sound of Silence', 'Come What May' and 'Carol of the Bells'.
The Band of the 2nd Brigade performed Concert Étude for Solo Trumpet, featuring the remarkable bandsman Andrea Rodaro, followed by an arrangement of a popular piece from 'Robin Hood – Prince of Theives'.
The concert soloist, Mezzo Soprano Gemma Ní Bhríain, from Dublin, was then introduced and gave a wonderful recital of work by Biset, Mozart and Bernstein.
The second half of the concert saw the arrival of the Athlone Pipe Band, which marched up the church to the applause of the audience. The band played their ever-popular tunes 'Highland Cathedral' and 'Tostal', supported by the Army Band.
The night ended with renditions of several festive favourites, as attendees were invited to join in with a series of well-known Christmas songs.
Joe MacCarrick, on behalf of Athlone Midland Samaritans and organiser Deirdre Collins, thanked Fr Gabriel Kinahan for again facilitating the holding of the concert in the Friary Church.
Gratitude was also expressed to Captain John Carpenter and the Army Band; to the concert's main sponsor Athlone and Castlerea Credit Union, and all of its other generous sponsors; Midland Sound Equipment; the Friary ladies who decorated the Church; and Michael O’Brien and his team who put up the Christmas trees.
Speaking afterwards, Deirdre Collins said she was delighted that the Samaritans continued to receive such strong support from the community, saying it was hoped that the concert will have raised some €15,000.
She was grateful that Slavek Kazek had offered to record and live stream the concert on MPC-TV.
Deirdre would also like to remind everyone that the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, on Freecall 116123, for anyone who wishes to call about anything that might be bothering them.