Ballinrobe Musical Society Honorary Members

Sr Frances McMyler
Paddy Daly
Colm Finnerty
Rev. Peter Rhys Thomas
Michael Sweeney
Pat McGovern

And an honorary member who, alas, has passed away. We miss him greatly but know he is watching from on high. We hope he will always be proud of us:

Noel Kirrane

There was great sadness in 2007 when news of the sudden death of Pat Heaney spread throughout the musical community all over Ireland. Here in Ballinrobe, we felt the pain of his loss quite acutely.

As his great friend, and Best Man at his wedding to his lovely wife Nessa, Ballinrobe native Paddy Daly, said: “Pat was a musical genius. He was known all over Ireland for the quality of his work.”

Pat produced shows for St Mary’s Choral Society, Ballinrobe, from 1984 to 1995, with the sole exception of My Fair Lady in 1993. On all ten occasions he was also Choreographer.

“Some people are thinkers, others are doers. Tommy Shannon had the capacity to be both, but his love of doing won out”

FROM the moment he swept into our lives – hair trailing and voice booming – as children in St Joseph’s primary school, he was a larger-than-life constant presence. My generation in Ballinrobe grew up with Monsignor Tommy Shannon as our parish priest; ‘til the moment he slipped away in Namibia, that’s what he still was.

To a child, he was a compelling figure. Even if you wanted to ignore him, you couldn’t. Once he entered the classroom, he filled it and transported you to a magical place where stories abounded and Delaney’s Donkey was the national anthem. When he left the sunshine went with him and the day became dull again.

He involved us in masses and services, none of which was ever ordinary.

Fr Shannon never believed in settling for the mundane when something outlandishly theatrical was possible.

That, I believe, is where some people misunderstood him. His penchant for grand-scale everything appeared to be born out of ego. It is reasonable that people may have thought it at times, but I don’t believe it was the case.

Tommy Shannon was blessed with gifts, gifts he cherished. When I interviewed him last year, to mark his silver jubilee, he told me that the toughest thing about Maynooth was the way it tried to reduce people to ‘a common denominator’. “Initiative or talent was suppressed for fear it might give you notions…and the safest thing to be was just an ordinary guy.”

Tommy was one of the lucky few – and he knew it.

Now I recall my friend for he lived according to his code and in his way was true to God. Courage he had and was content to be himself, whatever came his way. There is no other chivalry. (Brendan Kennelly, “A Man I Knew”)

It was with the very deepest sense of shock, sorrow and regret that I, and all of the members of Ballinrobe Musical Society, learned on September 11^th of the untimely passing of our beloved Musical Director, chorus master and conductor of 15 years, Mr Noel Kirrane at the young age of 53.

Not only have we lost a truly gifted and passionate man of music but also, a very special person with a heart as big as himself. Words alone, either written or spoke, just seem inadequate to articulate what Noel meant to all of us. Over the years, as co-conspirator with him and many others, in trying to present shows of quality and variety here in Ballinrobe, Noel became one of my closest friends and confidantes. I speak for all who knew him well when I say I am devastated by his loss. It was not so much the man of music as the man who inspired me.

A gifted musician, teacher and intellectual, it was without doubt his unassuming modesty, humility and human qualities which set him apart, and which always held me in awe. Like all great leaders, Noel neither pushed us in front, nor pulled us from behind, but rather, walked every step of the journey with us.

Along the way, he established himself as our inspirational hero, one on whom we relied and in whom we had total confidence. Noel’s four great loves in life were his family, his faith, music and his profession of teaching. It was, of course, his gift of music, which brought him closest to all of us.