Special evening of Christmas music in Mayo church

THE Roscommon Solstice Choir will present a concert in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Westport, on Friday, December 5, at 8 p.m. The choir has around 95 members so it will certainly be an evening of great and joyful sound.

This will be a fundraising event in aid of urgent repairs to Holy Trinity Protestant Church in Westport which suffered extensive damage due to Storm Eowyn at the beginning of this year. The church has been closed ever since, but the good news is that it’s hoped to re-open it with limited seating in the near future.

The Roscommon Solstice Choir is under the direction of Andrew and Eimear Reynolds from Rooskey. This 95-strong choir performs two charity programmes each year - spring/summer and Christmas. They usually appear in up to six concerts per programme.

During the evening there will be guest appearances, including the Westport Children’s Choir, which was founded in 2011 by Eriko Hopkinson.

Rev. Suzanne Cousins, Rector of Holy Trinity, has again paid tribute to Fr. John Kenny and the members of St. Mary’s Church for hosting services since the closure on Sundays and Wednesdays, ensuring that members of Holy Trinity congregation could continue to come together twice weekly.

She added that the Christmas musical event is sure to be a magical evening and all are welcome to attend.