In pictures: Sing550 brings the house down at St Agatha’s Church in Clar

Hundreds of eager singers turned out for Sing550 at St Agatha’s Church, Clar on Sunday evening. Please click on the arrows to go through the gallery

Some have been singing in choirs for years, others haven’t sung since their school days, and there were even a few for whom this was their first choir experience – and what a choir it was!

Driven by representatives of five local choirs – Tir Conaill Youth Choir, Donegal Abbey Singers, Donegal Voices, EnCor Tirconaill and The Bluestack Chorale, work started behind the scenes in the Spring. 

The singers came for rehearsal at 12.30pm and the sense of excitement and anticipation in the church was palpable, with everyone keen to get down to work. 

Berni Canny welcomed the singers and introduced the first conductor, Eileen Carr, who got the ball rolling with a run-through of the first song.  

But these keen singers had done their homework, so all that needed to be done was a bit of fine-tuning.

Evan McGarrigle took the podium to work through a Swahili chant and had them in the palm of his hand with his enthusiasm and encouraging of hand-clapping and foot stamping before Paul Martin took over for possibly the most challenging piece of the programme.

The live band of musicians – O’Sullivan family and Richard McCarthy added to the spectacle and made the world of difference to the whole day.

A couple of hours well-deserved break before the audience gathered to see and hear the results of the hard work and what a treat it was.

From the quiet hush of ancient music to a sixties classic, through the foot-stomping Swahili and on to the roar of opera, finishing with a Donegal anthem and flags flying, it was a day that all could be proud of! This event was in celebration of Donegal 550 and donations go to support local charity.