I am going the extra mile to sing the praises of my beloved Munster
“CONGRATULATIONS, honey, you’re the first person I know personally to be picked for Munster,” hailed my husband Robin, as I walked in the front door.
Those familiar with this column will know that ours is a robust household, in which there is a fair bit of slagging; and also that it’s a split household when it comes to provincial rugby. I support Munster, everyone else Leinster.
A while back, I was considering taking up something new. As I sifted through my interests, two that kept cropping up were Munster Rugby and singing. So it seemed obvious that I would join the Munster Rugby Supporters Club choir.
To my mind, there is no sound more beautiful than a well-balanced mixed four-part choir singing as one luxuriant, multi-layered, voice.
I sang a lot in boardingschool. I am a Soprano. I don’t have a particularly sweet voice but I can hold a note and learn a tune fast. So I was regularly called upon to lead the responsorial psalm at daily mass. I was in a church choir for a while after but haven’t sung much recently.
The MRSC choir was formed in 2008, the first provincial rugby choir of its kind. It has 45 members, who like to sing and, crucially, are dedicated followers of Munster Rugby. The choir sings before home matches in Thomond and Independent Park. It also supports local and national charities, performing at fundraising events, concerts and even a wedding, recently.
As would be expected, the repertoire includes plenty of rugby anthems but also extends to choral classics and contemporary pop, the kind of stuff that I like myself.
Robin made the opening comment as I landed home having being accepted after an audition.
The days running up to my “debut”, at the match against Cardiff, were peppered with more slagging, along the lines of, “it’s the only chance you’ll ever get to step on the hallowed turf”, “mind you don’t fall into one of Paul O’Connell’s footprints” ….”you’d have to get the Scannell brothers to pull you out”. Ha ha, hilarious.
I was a little taken aback at how nervous I felt on the morning of the match. But nerves are natural when it’s something that’s important to you. We all rose to the occasion and it went off fine. And I was delighted at our reception from the appreciative crowd. It was a great buzz!
As to whether it is any help to the team’s performance, that is a moot point. It is our way of showing support, which is an end in itself.
The weekly rehearsals are good-humoured and great fun, whilst getting the job done.
I have received a very warm welcome and made several new connections, through school, home and farming. It is cliché but Ireland is very small.
The one drawback as far as I am concerned is that the practice takes place in Charleville, a three-hour round trip. Hopefully, it won’t prove too onerous.
Even if that does happen, at some point down the road, I will at least have been introduced to what has become my new favourite song, ‘Calon Lân’, which, apparently, regularly tops the lists of favourite Welsh hymns. It means ‘a pure heart’.
The first I heard of it was when I got an email telling me to revise it. So I sought it out and was so blown away by it — especially Cerys Matthews spine-tingling rendition — that I spent the following days learning it.
Always sung in Welsh, the opening verse is translates as: