Songs That Built A Nation
Review by PAUL HEALY
A wonderful and deeply emotional cultural tour de force was staged at Roscommon Arts Centre last weekend.
Linking up with well-known local playwright Tommy Murray, Roscommon Solstice Choir recently embarked on their most ambitious and challenging project to date – and what a treat they’ve produced for audiences.
Prompted by Ireland’s various centenary celebrations of recent years, the voluntary choir spent several weeks planning and rehearsing for their major new production, ‘Songs That Built A Nation’.
‘Songs That Built A Nation’ premiered at Roscommon Arts Centre last Thursday, and ran for three nights, all of which attracted capacity crowds.
This show, on which Andrew and Eimear Reynolds were Musical Directors, promised to be a “dramatic insight into important milestones in Irish history – illustrated by our ballads, songs, poems and music”. And it has to be said that the Solstice Choir delivered in style. Indeed, they excelled themselves.
I went along on Friday night. It was soon obvious that this would not be the familiar concert-type presentation; instead, it was new territory for most of the choir members. They got to leave their ‘comfort zone’ and dip their toes into acting, or certainly drama, as this production was cleverly presented in a bar setting with cast members alternating between singing, reciting, narrating and then switching back to playing the role of customers in the public house (portrayed by an excellent set; plaudits to Eddie Kiernan).
‘Songs That Built A Nation’ began with the 1798 Rebellion and concluded with the War of Independence in 1920/21. Over the course of two and a half hours (there was a 15-minute interval) the audience is treated to a stirring reflection on Irish history, with choir members performing famous ballads, poems, music, and even extracts from speeches by heroic leaders.
There were evocative renditions of Boolavogue, The Fogey Dew, The Croppy Boy, Grace, Down by the Glenside – and many more. By the time A Nation Once Again was belted out, a surge of patriotic emotion was bonding cast and audience!
The huge cast carried it all off brilliantly. This was a superb show, one that took the audience on a very emotional journey. For me, it brought back memories of a time when it was usual for so-called ‘rebel songs’ to feature in singsongs in pubs. My own family launched the famous Kon Tiki bar outside Rooskey in 1970 – I was a very young child at the time, but I remember locals (my mother included) singing many of the songs so beautifully sung in the arts centre last weekend.
It was a very emotional experience for the Solstice Choir and audience alike. Indeed the cast was greeted at the finale with that most special of standing ovations – the spontaneous one!
This was a terrific and very moving production, which immediately takes its place as one of the outstanding highlights of this choir’s distinguished ‘body of work’. Heartiest congratulations to all members of Roscommon Solstice Choir, and to the ever-creative Tommy Murray. I hope this production goes on tour – people need to see it.
Photo Gallery: Roscommon Solstice Choir ‘Songs That Built A Nation’