Mullingar Voices completes circle of local music
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LEFT The pupils from Scoil an Chlochair.Image 2 of 12
Milltown/Rathconrath students at Mullingar Arts Centre.Image 3 of 12
St. Colmcille’s NS in Gainstown took part in the Mullingar Voices concert.Image 4 of 12
Aoileann Mulvihill, Valerie Cassidy and Emma Rodgerson were on duty at Mullingar Arts Centre.Image 5 of 12
Meghan Bates and Conor Walsh on Saturday evening.Image 6 of 12
Laura Guilfoyle and Neala McMahon at Mullingar Voices.Image 7 of 12
Sinéad McMahon, Niall Kinahan, Ben Kinahan and Evelyn Kinahan from Kilbeggan.Image 8 of 12
Fergal Brennan, Michelle Brennan, Ellen Keoghan and Richie Keoghan on Saturday at Mullingar Arts Centre.Image 9 of 12
Joe Murray, Paulie Martin, Gerard Kiernan, Paul Whelan, Gerard Toal and Aisling O’Reilly before the show on Saturday.Image 10 of 12
Josh Griffin, Sean Lynch and Anna Casey at Mullingar Arts Centre on Saturday evening.Image 11 of 12
Emma and Marian Partridge Evans from Mullingar.Image 12 of 12
Dawn and Jake Madden from Kilbeggan.Hits from local stars including Niall Horan and Joe Dolan featured at Mullingar Voices, arranged and directed by Maedhbh Hughes, in Mullingar Arts Centre over three nights the weekend before last.
Pupils from nine Westmeath schools performed songs written by local musicians in a choral celebration, along with some of the musicians who wrote those songs.
Paulie Martin, who is well known on the local music scene, thinks the concept is brilliant, as he told the Westmeath Examiner on the opening night, Saturday, at the arts centre.
“It’s come full circle; there are so many artists who play music and write music in the town, and Maedhbh Hughes has worked with fifth classes in the primary schools over the last three years who are learning how to sing songs by the musicians from the town.
“They sing them live, in front of an audience over the course of a weekend, with some of the musicians who wrote those songs, who are playing in the band, and singing in between when the kids are playing.
“It’s a huge experience for the kids, for the youth of Mullingar – to learn how to sing, to learn how music works, to see it in action on a live stage, to see the background to it all, how the band rehearse, how the sound engineers work, how a stage works, how a full live show is created. I think it’s brilliant!”