Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, February 29

The 10th session of the Ireland Sacred Harp Convention was held in Cork on the first Sunday and Saturday before in March. The class was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Ross Harbison leading 276. Marjorie Brown offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Michael Walker 48t (for Nigel Bowley); Sinéad Hanrahan 52t; Colleen Jones 217; Dermot Peel 278t; Niamh O’Sullivan 73t; Niamh Madigan 340; Kayne Coy 274b; Ger Wolfe 81t; Silvia Da Rocha and Calum Woods 268; Alec Williams 51; Helen Brown 182; Eimear Cradock 455; Desmond O’Flynn 183; Anne Altringham 171; Greg Carson 178; Althea Willette 179; Steph Malpass 349.

RECESS

Teresa Maguire brought the class back to order leading 445. Leaders: Joanna Bennett 419; Victoria Tremain 146; Joshua Lant 536; Lucie O’Flynn 480; Ellen Kennedy 338; Paul Zaba 547; Bridget McVennon-Morgan 67; Mary Greer 354t; Chris Brown 447; Elisabeth Schallwig 29t; Suzanne Rolli 70b; Tom Sprackland 218; Rachel Jordan 564; Ed Johnson-Williams 539; Jacoba Bruneel 216; Chris Affolter 353; Cäcilia Mann 133; William Cleary 483; Caro Stamm-Reusch 392 (for her mother-in-law, Angelika).

RECESS

The class was brought back to order with Sarah West leading 101b. Leaders: Edwin Macadam 444; Eimear Maguire 71; Fynn Titford-Mock 188; Florine Vielly-Eymard 87; Hannah Kennedy 505; Taylor Watkins 155; Marjorie Brown 474; Catherine Roberts 203; Al McCready 227; Michael Walker 528; Frédéric Eymard 107; Laurie Burk 313b; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 542; Kevin Barrans 204; Jeannette DePoy 201; Jonathon Smith 129; Julius Pasay 522; Holly Mixon 142; Dorothy Mitchell 270; Esther Wade 365; Andy Ditzler and Aislinn Ahern 263. Áine Uí Cheallaigh offered the prayer before lunch.

LUNCH

Vicki Elliott called the class back to order leading 324. Leaders: Marie Brandis 352; Scott DePoy 65 (for his Mom and Dad); Becky Wright 302; Nancy Novotny 434; David Brodeur 189; Leigh Cooper 384; Thom Fahrbach 304; Mary Jane Wilkie 121; Kate Coxon 377; Mark Godfrey 83t; Bobby Watkins 89; Sadhbh O’Flynn 506; Sam Kleinman 411; Darlene Dalton 454; Alison Brown 228; Bridgett Hill Kennedy 383; Cyprian Stevens 39t; Laura Eisen 82t; Ana Tighe 428; David Carlton 272; Sara Èlana Wilson 37b; Inga Huebner 501 (in memory of Stephen O’Leary); Steve Biggs 49b.

RECESS

The class was brought back to order by Kate Kirwan leading 278b. Leaders: Calum Woods 458; Eamonn O’Neill 110; Maura Burns 378b; Ellen Ray 106; Dominik Fraune 448t; Claire Hogan 172; Nick Hall 186; Tom Booth 499; April Watkins 543; Camilla Marie Widholm 511; Edward Rice 284; Paul Kolenbrander 192; Melanie Tönnies 277; Ted Brown 418; Erin Johnson-Williams 287; Florent Decherf 108t; Derek Buckland 230; Gerben Vos 271t; Joyce Smith 175; Petra Ertl 300; Aaron Kahn 95; John O’Flynn 440. Ross Harbison led 472 as the closing song. Thom Fahrbach offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, March 1

The Sunday session of the Ireland Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Ross Harbison leading 546. Dermot Peel offered the morning prayer.

Leaders: Amanda Parkes 61; Kevin Kennedy 416; Lisa O’Grady 176t; Chris Tuohy and Tariq Joyce 38b; Ailish McMahon 207; Áine Uí Cheallaigh 318; Ewa Lichnerowicz 224; Joan Gordon 47b; Walburga Ruhl 53 (for Peter Kocher’s birthday); Claire Lacombe O’Flynn and Linda Booth 275t; Laurie Skelton 312b; Inga Huebner 413; Erin Johnson-Williams 475; Eimear Maguire 335; Petra Ertl 210; Joyce Smith 100; Dominik Fraune 319; Werner Ullah and David Brodeur 269; Taylor Watkins 445.

RECESS

Rachel Jordan led 105 to bring the class back to order. Leaders: Laura Eisen 278b; Gerben Vos 542; Sara Èlana Wilson 30t; Derek Buckland 125; Ellen Kennedy 72b; Ted Brown 64; Melanie Tönnies 388; Sam Kleinman 76b; Kate Kirwan 330t; Mark Godfrey 283; April Watkins 216; Marie Brandis 527; Michael Walker 144; Cyprian Stevens 163b; Claire Hogan 275b; Nancy Novotny 197; Mike Morrisroe 436 (in memory of Brian Morrisroe); Greg Carson and Beatrix Baker 535; Laurie Burk 280; Becky Wright 33t; Scott DePoy 179 (for Karen Rollins).

RECESS

Chris Brown called the class to order leading 128. Leaders: Ingrid Rædergård and Paul Harrington 145b; Sheila Girling Macadam 500; Ulla Schlobohm 531; Oscar Kvasnes 119; Peter Kocher 198; Kate Coxon 349; Camilla Marie Widholm and Richard Mayers 550; William Cleary 355; Stacy Hackner 430; Eimear O’Donovan 532; Edward Rice 77t; Samuel Turner 362; Joe Jones 327; Helen Brown 556; Bobby Watkins, Helen Brown and Sheila Girling Macadam 313t; Bridgett Hill Kennedy 297; Judy Whiting 354t.

The lessons were conducted by Darlene Dalton. Darlene paused to remember the caregivers and families, before reading the following list of names of the sick and housebound: Curtis Owen, John Hopkinson, Melanie Hauff, Dave Richardson, Charlotte Heard, Ann Jett, Karen Matthews, Jennifer Jones, Breda Morrisroe, Angelika Stamm, Cornelia van den Doel, Ella Cumber, Joe McPartland, Claribel McVennon, Cath Saunt, Matthew Robley, Barry Rollins, Kevin Gallagher, John Hughes, Juanita Beasley, Gérard Sidar, Angela Thrift, Riccarda Zamboni, Norman Atkinson, and Jewell Wootten.

Darlene then read the names on the memorial list Nigel Martin Cumber; Tim Cole; Patti Kesselring; General Tadeusz, Krystyna Olcƶyk, Krzysztof Olcƶyk—Poland; Christian Anschütz, Wilfred Huels, and Wolfgang Neygebayer—Germany; Peter MacDonald, Graham Maule, John Stonnell, and Sybil Brown—Scotland; Roberto Cavallar and Irene Antolini—Italy; Eric Greer, Jack Nathan, and Terry Bamford—London; Colette Hughes—Ireland; Eliza Barbosa—Portugal; Sean Jennings, Sally Lucy, Janet Sale, Roger Bullen, and Ann Rose—U.K.; Ron Williams—Wales; Hughes Albanel—France; Liam Tran and Sonny Erwin—Texas, USA; Stephen O’Leary—California, USA; Concetta Branson—Oregon, USA; Charlene Wallace, Robby Rivers, Norma Mincey, Carole Chapman, and Mildred Patterson—Georgia, USA; Ottis Sides—Alabama, USA; Erlan Burk—Arizona, USA; B.—Washington, USA; Melvin R. Randall and Jean Ayotte—Massachusetts, USA; Paul Wilson—Minnesota, USA. Darlene Dalton led 285t in their memory. Ted Brown closed the memorial lesson with a prayer.

Fynn Titford-Mock led 565. Calum Woods asked a blessing before lunch.

LUNCH

Brad Knoke brought the afternoon session to order leading 145t. Leaders: Steve Brett 234; Richard Mayers 236; Ellen Ray 153; Andy Ditzler and David Brodeur 507; Nick Hall 150; Sadhbh O’Flynn 548; Chris Affolter 567; Ana Tighe 192; Jeannette DePoy 328; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 400; Dorothy Mitchell 34b; Sam Carter 460; Holly Mixon 196; Caro Stamm-Reusch 200; Al McCready 270; Constance Des Marais and Tom Sprackland 368; Eamonn O’Neill 102; Katie Ahern 426b; David Carlton 538; Joanna Bennett 35; Kevin Barrans 276.

RECESS

Ed Johnson-Williams called the class back to order leading 314. Leaders: Aaron Kahn 348t; Chris Lyons 228; Leigh Cooper 316; Phoebe Pallotti and Eimear O’Donovan 378t; Julius Pasay 229; Christopher Tedd 448b; Mali Dray 344; Rosalind Woods and Calum Woods 48t; Vicki Elliott 410b; Thom Fahrbach 423; Teresa Maguire 290; Jonathon Smith 181; Edwin Macadam and Sheila Girling Macadam 504; Sarah West 232; Paul Kolenbrander 28t; Nathan Volfango 268; Cassie Smith-Christmas and Eimear Cradock 457; Florent Decherf 209; Dara Desmond 365; and singers who attended all ten conventions—Al McCready, Sinéad Hanrahan, Kevin Kennedy, Dara Desmond, Declan Synnott, Amanda Parkes, Niamh O’Sullivan, Daire O’Sullivan, Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Desmond O’Flynn and Claire Lacombe O’Flynn 208.

A business meeting was held in order to hear reports from the various committees. The Secretary reported a total of two hundred fourteen songs had been sung by one hundred eighty-eight registered singers, with one hundred fifty-one leaders. Fourteen countries and twelve states were represented. The Treasurer reported that all expenses had been met. The meeting was closed.

Ross Harbison thanked everyone for a great singing and led 62 as the closing song. Joe Jones offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Ross Harbison; Vice Chairman—Michael Walker; Secretary—Amanda Parkes