Plaza to host book launch for Buncrana native Ray McGinley
Former Scoil Mhuire teacher brings 'Finding the Music' to the iconic ballroom this Thursday
Renowned music teacher Ray McGinley will be holding an Inishowen launch of her memoir in her home town of Buncrana this week.
Ray, who spent many years behind the counter of Porter's, her family's grocery shop on Main Street, recently published her autobiography to mark her eightieth year.
'Finding the Music', a heartfelt and humorous memoir recounting the personal and professional life of the popular teacher, examiner, and adjudicator, was written in collaboration with her husband Michael.
Ray told Donegal Live she felt the time was right to commit her fascinating life story to print – from her idyllic childhood in Buncrana, to raising a family in Derry at the height of the Troubles, and, of course, helping generation after generation of young music pupils reach their full potential.
She said: “I had all these memories in my head and, at the end of Covid, I decided to write them all down. I never really thought about a book but it just evolved into one with Michael. He has crafted what I have written into this beautiful manuscript.”
“Collaborating with him on this project has brought so much joy to both of us – to be honest, I think I am happier for him than I am for myself.”
The early chapters of the memoir, which recount Ray's childhood and teenage years in her native Buncrana, capture a time, place, and way of life that is all but gone now: sneaking contraband over the border on the Lough Swilly bus, wrapping up shop ham with brown paper and string, and dancing to the showbands in the iconic Plaza Ballroom.
Ray's move to Derry following her marriage to Michael coincided with the onset of the Troubles. Living in the thick of the chaos in Abercorn Road while raising daughters Rachel, Tanya, and Ruth, this section of the book is an invaluable social chronicle of one of Derry's most turbulent periods.
But, though she has lived in Derry for more than fifty years, the former Scoil Mhuire piano teacher has always retained strong links with her hometown.
And she has chosen the Plaza – just a stone's throw from her childhood home – as the venue for this week's launch.
She said: “It will be lovely to return to the Plaza. I have such fond memories of the place from my younger years; going to see all the amazing showbands, attending the dances with my friends, and, of course, huddling in the corner and waiting for a handsome young man to approach us and ask us out on the floor!”
“Though I made a life for myself in Derry, I have always maintained very close links with Buncrana. I have family still living there and would visit often. When I was writing my memoir, so many memories of my childhood and formative years came flooding back to me. I am really looking forward to reading a few passages from those early chapters and reminiscing about bygone days.”
The Inishowen launch of Ray's memoir, 'Finding the Music', will take place in the Plaza Ballroom, Buncrana, this Thursday evening, June 4th, at 6.30pm. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.