Despite the hype of the RTE Late Late Toy Show and the imminent arrival of storm Darragh, the Drogheda Male Voice Choir still managed to pack the TLT for their “Christmas Melodies” concert on Friday last.
The audience excitement was apparent, even before the stage curtain was drawn, to the strains of “Sleigh Ride” from the Drogheda Male Voice Choir which was the opening piece to the evening’s musical proceedings.
Alison Comyn, the choir’s regular compere and host, then welcomed the packed theatre with the promise of a night of musical extravaganza from a star-studded cast of artists. Her words certainly didn’t disappoint because what followed had an expectant audience enthralled with fabulous musical fare for the following two and a half hours.
There is a uniqueness and intrigue about this Christmas Concert every year, in that there are invariably unexpected surprises and quirks which the audience always enjoy. This concert didn’t disappoint in that regard and the Christmas Festive fare was complemented by some interludes of poignancy and humour.
Another feature of this concert, is the wonderful talent which enriches our town with all the performers coming from Drogheda and the surrounding area. The concert is also testament to the musical production ability of Drogheda Male Voice Choir musical director, David Leddy.
The Lourdes Youth Choir and their musical director Jackie Walshe have become firm favourites each year, and they blended beautifully with the Drogheda Male Voice Choir on “Away in a Manger” which featured the star of the night, eight year old, Padraig King, who melted hearts singing the opening verse to this very special arrangement by David Leddy.
The Lourdes Youth Choir under the direction of their musical director, Jackie Walshe, gave superb renditions of “Let it be Christmas” and a very intricate accapella arrangement of “Carol Of The Bells”.
First soloist on the programme was Drogheda Male Voice Choir tenor, Mick Miley, who gave a very polished version of “On The Street Where You Live”. His chemistry with David Leddy and the concert band, who included Emer Leddy, Reggie Lloyd, Tadgh Murphy, ‘Baz’ Leahy and James Mackin, set the ‘tone’ for the night.
Amie Dyer has certainly endeared herself to Drogheda audiences over the years ever since she was a young girl and her appearance last Friday, was evident that her maturity as a top class soprano was obvious in her beautiful singing of “Parle Piu” which she followed up with the “Holy City” when she was joined by the Drogheda Male Voice Choir with whom she has been singing since she was just 16 years of age.
Amie was also joined by the DMVC for the very evocative “Silent Night” which poignantly remembered choir members John O’Hagan and Tom Seery who passed away during 2024. She finished a memorable night with the beautiful Christmas carol, “O Holy Night”.
Another soloist and regular feature on this annual concert, Niamh Leddy, gave a lovely rendition of “Somewhere Only We Know” to which she brought her great experience in stage presence and composure garnered over the years.
Like a good wine, veteran vocalist, Timmy Regan, seems to mature with age. His choice of song, “If We Only Had Love” is so relevant to today’s world. The legend that is Dick Murphy still manages to amaze audiences with his fabulous monologues. Dick sat on the stage, he received great attention and amusement for his presentation of the “Fourth Wise Man” which captivated the audience.
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Apart from the Christmas fare, the Drogheda Male Voice Choir excelled with their intricate arrangement of “The Rocky Road To Dublin” and a lovely medley of Rod Stewart songs which certainly showed their musical versatility. They finished the medley with “Sailing” which they dedicated to the Clogherhead Lifeboat crew and volunteers with an appropriate backdrop screen which was a nice gesture.
The choir also has top class solo vocalists in their ranks and Mick Miley, Ben Buckley, Anthony Milne, Tom Wall and Aurthur McCullough were all featured throughout the evening to good effect and shared in the “Christmas Melodies”
It was a very happy audience who left the TLT following this magnificent bill of fare and murmurs of “Can’t wait for next year” could be heard as they exited the TLT.
