Management, staff and clients of Castleisland Day Care Centre and the wider community shared the midweek delight of attending the fundraising concert on their behalf at the Church of Saints Stephen and John.
‘On their behalf’ because the event was arranged by chorister John Breen in cooperation with Ailish Walsh-O’Connor and her Presentation Castleisland Choir and the Castleisland Community Choir.
The special guest slot was reserved for the brilliant and very special German Plucked String Orchestra Differter Saitenspielkreis.
The performers, the singers and the strings players absolutely spoiled their adoring audience with their well honed and practiced gifts of music and song.
Well Deserved Standing Ovations
Those of us in the audience expressed our appreciation in the only way we know and our loud and sustained applause gave way to several well deserved standing ovations.
A similar expression of audience satisfaction at the end of the concert must surely have left the performers in no doubt about the levels of appreciation and pure enjoyment they bestowed on those out there before them.
They certainly pushed the weather away down the list of topics of conversation as the audience left the church marvelling at what they had just experienced from both local and guest performers.
Altruism of the Performers
The altruism of the performers resulted in a profit of €2,200 for Castleisland Day Care Centre.
The performers and anyone who wished to, were invited to avail of a post concert cup of tea and a chat and a tour of the centre.
Nurse manager Marcella Finn expressed the appreciation of all at the centre to those involved in the organisation of the concert and she mentioned John Breen in particular as the originator of the idea. Mr. Breen, who spoke at the beginning of the concert and at its conclusion, sang with the Kerry Choral Union in between.
John Breen and Martina McCarthy
From his original suggestion, he and centre secretary Martina McCarthy then took the
idea to what we saw at the church on Wednesday night.
Tickets to the event were €10 each and the proceeds will help the centre to maintain its community Meals on Wheels service which has been up and running since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
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