 My hometown of Carrick-on-Suir is renowned for its musical and theatrical heritage. My earliest memories are of going to see my neighbour Madge when the (then) Carrick-on-Suir Amateur Operatic Society were performing “Cinderella” in the Ormonde Hall. It was my first time seeing a musical live and, in the flesh, and I remember being mesmerised by the live orchestra, the singing and dancing, the lights, the costumes and the make-up. I was hooked and tried to see all of the Society’s performances afterwards when I lived in Carrick. And they never disappointed. What talent lies in a small town!! The Society – now renamed the Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society - was the brainchild of a local curate, Rev. James Harty in 1943. Carrick at that time was, more or less, a one-industry town, a World War raged and rationing was the order of the day. Many Irish people worked in England in the war effort. At home most of the boys and girls joined the L.D.F., the Red Cross and similar organisations. Fr. Harty invited people interested in singing and music to stage some kind of musical entertainment to occupy the young people and also, hopefully, to improve the quality of life in the town. That musical entertainment turned out to be “H.M.S. Pinafore” and was staged in the Castle Cinema on the 7th, 8th and 9th February; 1944. The Society was born.  Ad for the School Festival in the Munster Express - 14 Feb 1975 My brother, Martin, was a member of the Society for a while but I never joined. My actual one and only stage performance came in February 1975 as part of Féile na Scoile (“Festival of Schools”). In Sr. Antoinette’s 3rd, aged 9, we performed on the stage of the Theatre Royal in Waterford City, I played the part of a doll in a toymaker’s workshop who comes to life when sprinkled with pixie dust by naughty pixies. My classmates played pirates, fairies, gypsies and sailors while my friends Catherine and Ann played lead roles as King and Toymaker. When sprinkled with pixie dust by Bridget and Teresa each of the groups did a little dance. I still remember the sailor’s doing their hornpipe to this tune. But here we are all below in black and white at the Theatre Royal in Feb 1975.
 The Féile na Scoile was started in the late 1950s and to my knowledge is still going today. In my day, it involved an "invasion" of children from four South-Eastern Counties for performances in the Theatre Royal over 5 days. I actually found the ad in the Munster Express for our week in February 1995. When the five-day festival was brought to its close, more than 5,000 pupils from sixty schools in Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Wexford, had presented a total of 140 items. I remember the weeks of rehearsals after school in the run-up to the performance. I remember re-doing the dances over and over until they were perfected. Then there came the pulling together of the costumes....mine was easy....I wore one of my previous year’s “ a bit short but t’will do” summer dresses and a ribbon in my hair with new white knee socks. The fairies had to resurrect their First Communion Dresses from two year’s previous …. Luckily, minis were in fashion in 1975. 😂 On the evening of the Theatre Royal performance, I remember the excitement of getting our make-up done backstage – the first time I wore foundation and lippy. Onstage I remember the heat of the spotlights and super-trooper. They were so bright that luckily, we could see very few in the audience but we knew it was packed to the rafters with people tiered on three levels.  Theatre Royal, Waterford City The Theatre Royal is a classical Victorian Theatre with a Proscenium stage and 3 seating levels. Spanning a history of some 220 years in its original form as a “play house”, it’s often referred to as “the People’s Theatre”. For generations it has been the focal point of theatre in Waterford with world premieres and visits by such authors as Oscar Wilde. Today the auditorium is a modern 430 seat theatre over three seating levels with its iconic chandelier making for an awesome sight. From music to drama, opera to musicals, the Theatre Royal continues to be at the heart of theatre in Waterford. So to tread the boards where so many had performed before was a big deal for us!! 😊Afterwards, with adrenaline pumping we got to watch the rest of the performances from way “up in the Gods” once we had been treated to a small bottle of Coke and a Jacob’s Club Milk each. All to ourselves. Not having to share. That was one of the highlights for me!   In today’s world there would probably be video clips captured on smart phones and we might even have made it to Tik-Tok or Insta……but all we have is that one black and white photo. And precious memories of the night it was “our time to shine”! Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 95 Number 18 (a) - Creative
Other Blog Posts Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China Blog 19 - California, USA Blog 27 - Scotland Blog 28 - Barbados Blog 29 - Canada Blog 30 - Alaska Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida Have you ever performed on a stage? Tell me about it in the comments section below. If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
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AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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