Ballymun Gospel Choir in Concert

St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street

19th and 20th March

The wonderful acoustic sounds and setting of St. Ann's Church played host to the Ballymun Gospel Choir concert last weekend for two very successful nights.  The concert, which was in aid of Sli eile, was also recorded on both nights by Marion McEvoy for the choir's first album. The MC's for each night were Debbie Moore and Michael Hurley respectively, who both did an excellent job of warming up the audience with a relaxed and positive vibe for the night's entertainment ahead.  The choir, directed by Cathy McEvoy and backed by their superb band which also featured some fine additional musicians, opened their set with the classic 'Rivers of Babylon' and from there straight into the lively, feel-good gospel song 'Rain Down'.  The feedback from the audience was instant and uplifting which ensured both audience and choir members of a great night ahead.  A mixture of both classic and contemporary gospel songs followed from the well known 'Oh Happy Day' and 'Can't give up now' to Alabama 3's 'Converted' and Bob Dylan's 'Solid Rock'.  This eclectic mix of both uptempo songs and more choral pieces like the stunning 'Great is thy faithfulness' and 'Be still my soul' provided a compelling aural experience for everyone present.

Photograph by Mark Earley

One of the choir's most recent additions to their repertoire was the spine tingling 'Shine On' which brought the entire church to a silence during its a cappella performance.  The energy of these performances remained consistent right up to the encore song, 'Your love keeps lifting me higher'. This irresistible number featured some new and exciting choreography from the choir, courtesy of Sharon Sexton, and had every one of their loyal supporters on their feet clapping and singing along to the end.

The atmosphere on both nights during and after the performances was nothing short of magical and ensured that everybody in attendance left St. Ann's feeling good.

Kathleen Ward