County youth orchestra performs at NCH

February 1997

LOUTH county youth orchestra is among eight from throughout Ireland which performs at the second Festival of Youth Orchestras in the National Concert Hall.

Under the baton of conductor Ronan Dennedy, they perform March From Scipio, King Of The Fairies – The Fairy Reel, Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheeba and Blue Tango.

Along with St. Canice’s national school orchestra, Kilkenny; Mannix College youth orchestra, Cork, and West Dublin youth orchestra, the local musicians make up the afternoon performance.

They are followed in the evening by Alexandra College orchestra, Dublin; Kerry school of music orchestra; Wexford school of music orchestra and Cork school of music orchestra.

The Louth orchestra at the NCH is made up of violins, Alison Brennan, Ailbhe Clancy, Alison Deery, Fergal Deery, Sarah Dennedy, Niamh Dooley, Roisin Dooley, Kelly-Anne Flynn, Donna Garvey, Barry Keane.

Amy Kieran, Niamh Loughran, Aisling Manning, Caroline Manning, Gabrielle Mulholland, Julie Morgan, Jane Murphy, Catherine McCague, Mary McCague, Sarah McDonald, Aisling McDonnell, Anne Marie McGahon, Orla McKeever.

Robert Morgan, Aine Nic an Riogh, Julie O’Hagan, Deirdre O’Hare, Paula O’Reilly, Edel Quigley, Joanne Shields, Tony Shields, Clare Sweeney, Karl Sweeney, Lorraine Ward.

Cellos, Aoibhinn Cahill, Aoife Dennedy, Sarah Moore, Julie-Anne Manning.

Flutes, Sadhbh Dennedy, Alison Murphy, Nicola Murphy, Pentony O’Hagan, Siobhan McKenna. Percussion, Paul Carolan. Leader, Caroline Manning. The orchestra was founded in 1992 by Ronan Dennedy and Yvonne Sweeney, to provide a forum for young musicians to meet and play music together.

Membership is representative of all parts of the county, and some musicians travel from the neighbouring counties of Meath, Monaghan, Armagh and Down to the monthly rehearsals.