This autumn, Siamsa Tíre re-launches its Choir – Cór Siamsa Tíre and invites all who enjoy singing and interested in improving their health and wellbeing to join its developing choir. The Siamsa Tíre choir historically has sung for presidents, the then Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla on their visit to Kerry in 2018 and other state dignitaries.
An information evening and informal rehearsal with Chorus Mistress Martina Ryan Murphy will take place on Monday 23rd September 2024 from 7-9pm.
Rehearsals will be on Mondays throughout the year and the choir will work on a combination of Irish composed traditional and contemporary songs in Irish and English which will be performed at community and choral events locally and nationally.
Cór Siamsa Tíre
Siamsa Tíre’s Choir has been part of the fabric of choral music in Kerry for over 50 years and has a vast repertoire of songs from the Irish tradition both secular and sacred. As part of its continuing development, the choir will delve further into the Irish choral repertoire written or arranged by our own Irish composers. These wonderful composers are recognised worldwide for their unique contribution to choral music. The choral works that Cór Siamsa Tíre intend to uncover, as part of its development as Ireland’s premier choir in the performance of uniquely Irish compositions, date from the 1930’s up to the current period. They range from sacred works to contemporary original settings to re-working of traditional Irish texts in the Irish language, in English and in many other European languages.
The choir is fortunate to have access to original sacred works and arrangements of ancient Irish songs by the founder of the choir Fr Pat Ahern, the choir which he began in 1957. It is also fortunate to have access to the new arrangements and original compositions of John Jones. John is a highly renowned church organist and sacred music specialist with a vast knowledge of traditional Irish music and song as a multi-instrumentalist in the Irish tradition. John is a lecturer at the School of Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at MTU Tralee.
Many uniquely Irish choral works have not been heard in a public setting, nor have they been recorded for posterity. Opening this door to the incredible variety of compositions by Irish composers would be an extremely rewarding project for Cór Siamsa Tíre to continue the tradition of choral music in Ireland and to share this music with the world.
Choral Mistress Martina Ryan Murphy:
The choirs’ director, Martina Ryan Murphy, has been working with choirs in Kerry for almost 40 years. She has performed as a choral singer since the age of 12 and has studied under Dr Geoffrey Spratt at Cork School of Music whilst performing under his direction with The Irish Youth Choir and Canticum Novum Chamber Choir. She has studied under Dr John O’Keefe and Dr Kevin O’Carroll at St Patrick’s University Maynooth whilst earning a Diploma in Church Music and Liturgy. Martina is passionate about choral music and its importance for health and wellbeing as well as its importance from a social perspective.
Visit our Choir Page to read the latest updates!
