Stung by the disappointment of last years All Ireland Hurling Final against Kilkenny in Croke Park, local Holycross and GAA fanatic Michelle Skehan, is hoping to lift the hearts of her fellow Tipperary fans by flying the ‘Blue and Gold’ flag in yet another All Ireland Final.
The competition this time, RTE 1’s All Ireland Talent Show. Michelle’s bid to bring home the title begins on Sunday 24th January at 6.30pm when she will represent the South of Ireland under the mentoring of Cork man John Creedon.
Well known locally, past pupil of Holycross NS and Presentation Convent Secondary School, Thurles, 25 year old Michelle, a teacher at Scoil Angela Ursuline primary school and Moyne NS, has been involved with many local community and sports groups such as Holycross Folk Group, Thurles Gospel Singers, Holycross/Ballycahill Camogie and Thurles Sarsfields Ladies Football Team.
From performing regularly at the Ship Bar, Cormackstown, singer/songwriter Michelle has gone on to perform on the big stage alongside many of the great names in the music business including Brendan Bowyer, Mary Black and Frances Black. “Performing my own songs on stage with greats like Brendan Bowyer was a dream come true, I have thought about this day for so long.”
Determined to make a name for herself in the music industry, Michelle decided to take a career break from teaching this year to focus entirely on her song writing and music with a view to recording her own material. To date, she has successfully reached the final of Tipp FM’s Premier Factor competition and has been a regular guest on Tipp FM, performing her own compositions live on Radio.
The top prize is a whopping €50,000 and Michelle is certain that the money would send her well on her way towards achieving her musical dreams. “Winning this competition would be the ultimate boost I need. My supreme goal is to create my own studio at home with recording equipment and software. If I had anything left over then I could put new strings on my guitars, banjo, and mandolin, and get my piano tuned.” stated Michelle
Michelle is hoping to impress the judges and the public with her own version of a well-known folk song. She will need as many public votes as possible to keep her in the competition. “I will do my very best, for my parish, town, county, the south and all music lovers across the country and hopefully I will make it through. I don’t want to leave the studio feeling as I did leaving Croker in September. Our Tipp heroes played their hearts out on the day and were winners in all our eyes.”
This time the people of Tipp can choose their own destiny so please tune in and vote for Michelle on the All Ireland Talent Show, Sunday 24th January, @ 6.30pm on RTE1.
Tipperary folk legend Liam Clancy died at about midday last Friday, aged 74, at the Bons Secours Hospital, in Co Cork, surrounded, as he would have wished, by his beloved wife Kim and daughters Siobhan and Fiona.
He had lost his long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, the same disease which his brother Bobby died of, on September 6th in 2002.
I first met Liam many years ago, when this country was a less greedy and a more saner place, near the harbour in Greystones, Co.Wicklow. If my sliding memory serves me correctly I had listened, spellbound, the previous night, as he recited some poetry, possibly in the Beach House which overlooked the grey harbour wall. As we passed he possibly recognised me from the small crowd the night before and we stopped to chat about poetry for a time, during which period he recited “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” written by Scottish-born singer and songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971.
This ballad is possibly one of the greatest songs ever written demonstrating the total futility of war. Now through this actor’s lips came the passionate, clear and stark retelling of the events of the battle of Suvla Bay, its aftermath and the passionate indictment of all war in general. Liam, in his telling, brought a tear to his own eye and indeed the eyes of those few of us lucky enough on that day to happen on this unscheduled meeting with him.
Liam Clancy, was just 21 when he left his native Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, for New York city. With him went his older brothers Tommy and Paddy and of course later they would be joined by Tommy Makem and Bobby Clancy.
The Clancy Brothers took up singing in local bars and other venues and soon became part of the then emerging Greenwich Village vagabond folk movement, which then existed. Greenwich Village would soon be identified as the bohemian capital and the birthplace of the Beat movement where musicians and artists would enjoy the company of like-minded people. Continue reading Tipperary Folk Legend Liam Clancy Passes On
A host of big names will step out tomorrow night to join Thurles born singer, Una Healy of the girl band The Saturdays celebrate her 28th birthday, in true Irish style.
Una Healy pictured recently at HQ Nightclub Thurles.
The leggy beauty, who threw a star spangled bash at London’s Club 24 last month, is now looking forward to celebrating with her friends from closer to home.
The Thurles Co.Tipperary native will be joined by her bandmates, Frankie Sandford, Mollie King, Rochelle Wiseman and Vanessa White, when as they kick off the party at new The Good Bits, Store Street, Dublin.
This gorgeous group will jet into Dublin tomorrow to attend the exclusive Xbox launch party, Lips Number 1 Hits at the new club. The Just Can’t Get Enough singers are later hoping to attend, Krystle Nightclub in Harcourt Street, to continue the nights celebrations.
The invite only party at The Good Bits will kick off with a drinks reception, before Una take to the stage.
Among the invited guests of Microsoft, will be Thurles town’s native Shane Willoughby and Joseph Murphy, the brains behind Irelands No1 sensational Gaming Site and Forum, TheGamingLiberty.com.
Time permitting, she may pay a visit home and will no doubt drop in as usual to HQ Nightclub in Thurles over the weekend.
I believe it was Winston Churchill who once said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.
Thurles Tenor Michael Molumby
This Christmas will be a change for most of us on previous years. Many more of us will be worse off financially and some will face the new year without any sight of secure future prospects, mainly brought about by the greed of others.
Being “less than,”and being poor, despite our reported progress in matters of education, carries a stigma. Modern capitalism has thought us to equate decency only with wealth and therefore indecency with poverty.
Those whose jobs allow, will continue their inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than they need or indeed deserve, in respect of material wealth. Most of us will plan Christmas around ourselves and close friends. A few of us, on the other hand, will be thankful for all the gifts we have, while trying to share what we can, of those gifts, with others. One such member of this few, sharing his gift for the benefit of others this Christmas, is local singer/tenor Michael Molumby.
Regarded as one of the finest Irish tenors in County Tipperary, building contractor Michael Molumby releases his first well overdue CD this coming week, Friday November 6th in the Premier Hall Thurles at 8:00pm, on the stage of a theatre he has graced so professionally and on so many occasion down through the years.
Michael Molumby’s tenor voice has enthralled huge audiences now for over three decades, through his performances with Thurles Care Group, Thurles Cathedral Choir, Clonmel and Kilkenny Musical Societies, John Player Tops and our own Thurles Musical Society.
Married to Maria, with two sons Declan and Diarmuid and daughter-in-law Jennifer, this new CD, entitled “Circling The Square”, has been an all family effort and its finality Michael admits took longer than expected. Here we bring you just a random taste of Michael’s wonderful voice, singing the all time favourite ‘Moon River’.
The title of this CD “Circling the Square” is taken from a book ‘Troubled Thoughts, Majestic Dreams’ by Thurles author Denis O’Driscoll, Mill Road, Thurles.
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