For the first time ever, I took a trip to Dublin, Ireland. This trip took place from September 20th-23nd with the Unneland Community Choir (Unnelandskoret), a district choir located east of Bergen, Norway.
This choir is conducted by Tone Lise Moberg while I went as their
accompanist on piano and guitar. We flew on Friday, September 20th from
Bergen to Dublin, checked into our hotel, and then practiced for the
weekend performances. After practice, we went to various Dubin
restaurants for a late lunch and made opportunities to take in some of
the local tourist attractions in Dublin’s downtown. In the evening, many
took in some live performances of Irish folk music in some of the local
pubs and ate a late supper at these venues, including Yours truly.
Saturday,
September 21st was our busiest day of the tour. We first gave a 40
minute lunch concert at St. Patrick’s Cathederal, one of Dublin’s most
famous churches. The acoustics were outstanding, I had a wonderful baby
grand piano to play on, and the choir sang very well. We then went to
eat a lunch of ”Fish and Chips” at Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen
Head, which was not far from St. Patrick’s Cathederal. Afterwards,
Håvard Reiten (tenor, keyboard accordion) and I (guitar) accompanied the
choir on foot for the remaining concerts.
We then went to the famous
Guinness Storehouse, where the Guinness beers are brewed. We sang four
Irish pub songs at the brewery’s tourist exhibit for many tourists and
employees, took a brief tour, and bought some souvenirs at their
boutique. We then took a bus to a traditional Irish pub/restaurant on
Dublin’s south side called The Merry Ploughboy. This pub/restaurant is
owned by traditional Irish musicians and attracts many bus tours of
international tourists, as well as dedicated locals who enjoy
traditional Irish music. The Irish folk music group ”The Merry
Ploughboys” gave two 60 minute sets that left the audience well
entertained and featured a group of five Irish dancers who danced both
Gaelic dance and Irish stepdance between sets. We were given an
opportunity to sing two Irish pub songs during the break as well. That
wrapped our Saturday.
Sunday morning, September 22nd saw the
choir travel by bus south to County Wicklow and Powerspoint Gardens, an
immaculate garden and golf course area that was more than beautiful on a
sunny day. We gave a 15 minute performance outside the former mansion.
We then had the chance to meet and hear a 15 minute performance from a
Norwegian male chorus called The Ålesund Male Chorus, who come from the
city of Ålesund along Norway’s central coast. They were also on a tour
of Dublin and area. Both choirs then travelled by bus to Glendalough, an
Irish national historic site and national park, located about one hour
south of the Dublin city limits. It was here that early Catholic
monestaries were established for hundreds of years before England
invaded Ireland in the late 1700s and early 1800s. We had the chance to
sing one church song inside one of the remaining churches that was still
standing and enclosed. We were thrilled with the acoustics as the choir
sang as one. We then shared an Irish Stew lunch with the Ålesund Male
Chorus before returning to Dublin.
In closing, the members of the
choir stayed and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Dublin for one more
day, but Tone Lise Moberg and I had to return to Norway that Sunday
because of teaching commitments on Monday, and I also began work as a
conductor for another choir in the Bergen area that same Monday; a
Bergen Women’s choir called ”The Evening Sounds Womens Chorus” (Damekoret
Tonekveld). Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable tour and it left me
wanting to come back again another time.
That wraps up another report
on tour for me. Until the next time, we’ll see you down the musical
trail!
Musically Yours, Trent
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