Mayo choirs present atmospheric afternoon of Christmas carols at Turlough Park
TWO of the region’s leading choirs will be performing at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, on Sunday next, December 21.
The Mayo Male Voice Choir will perform at 2 p.m. under the direction of Deirdre Lee and the Cill Aodain Choral Society will perform at 3 p.m. under the direction of Finola Higgins-Cosgrove.
The annual choral performances have become a firm festive favourite with museum goers over the last number of years. Admission is free and no booking is required.
Established in 2000, the Mayo Male Voice Choir has grown from strength to strength and now has more than 50 members who travel from all parts of Co. Mayo to rehearse and perform together. The choir has been under the direction of the very accomplished and talented Deirdre Lee since its inception. Deirdre is a music teacher at St. Joseph’s Secondary School and her expertise and experience are invaluable to the choir.
Formed in Kiltimagh in 1994, the Cill Aodain Choral Society has performed across Ireland and internationally and is the recipient of numerous awards at choral competitions and festivals. The group has grown in membership and experience over the years under the accomplished direction of Finola Higgins-Cosgrove. They have staged many successful shows and accompanied leading artists in concert such as Rebecca Storm and Tommy Fleming.
The choir meet and practice weekly in Kiltimagh.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Throughout the month of December, there is also a fun decoration hunt activity available in the museum galleries for younger visitors. This is a self-guided trail - meaning visitors can pick up an activity sheet at any time during museum opening hours and enjoy the trail at your own pace. Use the clues to explore three floors of exhibition galleries and find 12 decorations hanging in the displays.
For an outdoor activity, there is also a seasonally themed Woodland Explorer worksheet available from museum reception.
There is a North Pole post box in Turlough Park House for that all important letter to Santa and be sure to get some nice family pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the formal hall.
Further details on all events and activities are available from www.museum.ie.
Admission to the National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park is free. The exhibition galleries are open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday to Monday from 1 to 5 p.m.
The museum is open as normal throughout the holiday period with the exception of Christmas Eve (open 10 a.m. to 12 noon) Christmas Day (closed) and St. Stephen's Day (closed). Normal opening hours resume on Saturday, December 27.