Tullamore Gospel Choir
Tullamore Gospel Choir was launched in 2003 and has the distinction of being the biggest Choir of its kind in
Under the auspices of former Parish Priest, Fr. Willie Cleary, the Choir gave its first public performance in the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore on Easter Sunday, April 21st 2003. This was the biggest crowd to attend a single Mass in the history of Tullamore parish; Over three and a half thousand people turned up for the occasion.
Tullamore Gospel Choir members range in age from just 10 years upwards! The Musical Director is internationally renowned singer/songwriter, Brendan Keeley, who, in addition to directing the Choir, has also written a number of original gospel songs which now form a regular part of the Choir’s repertoire.
The three elements which make up Tullamore Gospel Choir are Fun, Faith and Friendship and another key aspect of their existence is outreach, i.e. reaching out to those in the local community who are in need. The Choir have performed at many charity concerts locally since their launch, as well as travelling to venues all over
Participation by each Choir member is entirely voluntary, and rehearsals take place every Wednesday night in the Day Chapel of the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore from 8pm to 10pm. Tullamore Gospel Choir celebrate the Liturgy at the 1pm Mass in the Church of the Assumption on the second and fourth Sunday of every month from September through to June, and many people travel long distances to attend the Mass, which is conducted in a very upbeat and lively tempo, while always maintaining a reverent and prayerful atmosphere.
One of the highlights of the Church calendar in the parish of Tullamore is the Christmas Eve Youth Mass which is organised by members of Tullamore Gospel Choir, in conjunction with Priests and lay workers in the parish. The Church of the Assumption is always packed to capacity for this memorable occasion.
Among the groups which have benefitted financially as a result of the charity work undertaken by members of Tullamore Gospel Choir are: Aware; The Irish Wheelchair Association; Offaly Hospice; Offaly Women in Crisis; GOAL; The National Breast Cancer Research Institute; The Mother Theresa Centre in Bombay, India and a primary school in the Philippines – The Bishop Cronin/Tullamore Gospel Choir School – which is funded exclusively through the fundraising efforts of the Gospel Choir.
As well as participating in the Liturgy at Mass in Tullamore and undertaking charity concerts all over Ireland, we took part for two years running in the Gospel Choirs Competition at the prestigious Sligo International Choral Festival. We consecutively claimed the top prize both years and took home the Mai O’Connor Memorial Trophy for Excellence in Gospel singing. Tullamore Gospel Choir have also appeared on RTE television on no less than three occasions, and we have also performed for President Mary McAleese and former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern on two occasions at functions in Dublin. We have also performed on three occasions with the internationally-renowned Celtic Tenors.
A major milestone for the Choir was the launch of our debut album in 2005, with all proceeds from the sale of the album going to charity. The album was recorded live in the Church of the Assumption over a single weekend – an event which attracted huge crowds of Choir fans and well-wishers from many parts of
