A powerful social and musical initiative, the men’s choir in Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, is bringing men together through song. Established in September 2024 as a one-off project, the choir quickly grew from a community development effort focused on the neglected east side of Enniscorthy.
The idea stemmed from noticing that while a well-known St. Senan’s parish choir and a few others existed, they only had two or three men singing in each. The goal was to consolidate these men into one group. The response was surprisingly good, with about 20 men currently involved.
The choir provides a vital social outlet. As one older man in the video, who is 90 years old, exclaimed, the choir is “the best I’ve ever sat down to” and he has “never enjoyed anything like it”. The benefits of singing in a choir are “well versed and well documented”. For many, the group addresses isolation, especially for older men or those living alone, and is a significant support for mental health issues. As one member noted, the choir is a “mood altering pastime”, always ensuring he leaves “in a better mood” than when he arrived.
Creative Places in Enniscorthy, with coordinator Darren O’Hanahan, became interested in the choir’s work. Creative Places helped with a concert, and in a post-Christmas project, the group recorded a CD, utilizing the talents of local sound engineer Ivan Levenson.
The project continued with Creative Places organizing local artist and songwriter Paul O’Reilly to work with the choir. They have collaborated to write and compose a couple of pieces of music, recording their own songs. These compositions drew on men’s stories, resulting in two pieces centered on the themes of love and childhood.
The choir is actively looking for new members. There are no auditions; the atmosphere is very relaxed. If you enjoy singing, even just “in the shower,” you are welcome to come along, grab the lyrics, and “sing to enjoy”. The project has been absolutely brilliant, even inspiring an original song written about Enniscorthy.
Watch them in action
some Photos from a recent show
