September 2008

We had a very successful trip to Birr, a small Georgian town in County Offaly, in the Irish Midlands. Two buses left Swansea on Friday 26^th and arrived late in the evening, with just enough time to check into our accommodation and visit a local hostelry.

Saturday saw an early start with a visit to the very impressive Birr Castle. Although we were unable to enter the castle itself (it is the current home of the seventh Earl of Rosse), the grounds are extensive and also feature the “Great Telescope”. This was followed by a rehearsal in St Brendan’s, Church of Ireland, and also at Birr Town Hall, where we performed our concert later. We had a great reception from a packed hall which culminated in an encore following our last piece, a medley of Sinatra songs. A standing ovation followed the singing of the Welsh national anthem and The Soldier’s Song. Although we sang this in English it was great to hear the Irish words sung by the audience! After the concert, a barbecue had been arranged for us at Kelly’s bar and further singing took place into the early hours of Sunday morning. There appeared to be some confusion here as two of our members turned up in fancy dress. Elvis didn’t leave the building that night. Well, not until very late.

On Sunday we sang at the church for their harvest celebration. Again, we were well received by the congregation who burst into applause, following a rousing performance of Cwm Rhondda. After the service we were treated to a reception at the town hall and a number of presentations were made. We must thank the Birr Stage Guild for their part played in the organisation of the weekend and also the Birr Lions Club, who covered our costs of entry into the castle and the monastery at Clonmacnoise, which we visited later in the day. We also gave a short performance there, in a restored part of the monastery where the acoustics were brilliant. In the evening we attended a ‘grand’ buffet at The County Arms, which was, indeed, ‘grand’!

The weekend ended with a trip to Dublin on Monday and our return to Swansea in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A big thank you must go to Paul Smith, whose idea it was to visit Birr, and to Alan Clewett who organised the weekend so efficiently. Also to the performances of our musical team Nick, Rhian, and Steve, who added the organ accompaniment for a number of items at both venues. Finally, thanks to Tony and Margaret Hogan, our contacts in Birr, who organised the various trips, entertainment, and concert venues throughout the weekend.

More photos from this trip can be viewed at the gallery.

October

We were pleased to be able to announce that we had been asked back to perform in Disneyland, Paris, for their Welsh Festival over the weekend of March 6^th to 8^th 2009. This was great news and recognition of our professionalism, and the quality of performance, given at last year’s event. This time we hoped that the weather would prevail and that we would be able to sing outdoors.

On Thursday 23^rd we sang at the Welsh Assembly, Cardiff. We had been invited by the DVLA to perform to over 100 delegates, who represented other Licensing Agencies from all parts of the world and were visiting Cardiff to share ideas. They were being shown around the Assembly building, and we added the ‘Welsh’ flavour to the evening. We had an excellent reception and one of the delegates even joined our bass section when we finished our programme with ‘We’ll Keep A Welcome’! On the way back we stopped at the Red Lion, Bonvilston, where further singing took place washed down by a few beers.

December

Following a quiet November we had a very busy Christmas. Our first concert was held at The Scout Hall, Brynmill, which is an annual event organised by our Ladies committee, where we also raise funds for a local charity. This year, money was donated to Stepping Stones, a children’s charity based in Killay. We followed this with another ‘annual’ event when we sang at the Vivian Hall, Blackpill, raising funds for the hall itself. Both concerts were played to full houses and we included a number of new Christmas items including a version of The First Nowell, which has been set to Pachelbel’s Canon in D. The accompaniment is written as a piano duet, which allowed Steve Wilson to join Rhian on the piano. 

We were also fortunate to be asked to sing at Craig-Y-Nos Castle for the wedding of Phil Gittoes’ daughter. Phil is a past member, and chairman, of the choir and we have now sang at the wedding of each of his children. It was great to be able to sing in the famous ‘Opera House’ and after in the sun lounge. A number of the bridegroom’s family joined us for a rendering of Blaydon Races, as they had travelled down from the north east for the wedding. Phil also joined us for Cwm Rhondda. 

The final event of the Christmas season saw us participating in the annual Swansea RFC carol service, which this year took place in the St Helens Lounge. This was again well attended by the current players, committee and supporters, and Garin Jenkins, former Swansea and Wales hooker, gave a short, but passionate, address. The funds raised from this event were given to Swansea Gladiators Rugby Club which is a team made up of children with various disabilities.