Christmas
2003
Award
Winners at Galway Mummer Festival
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Members
of the branch had a very active Christmas period, taking part in the Woodford
and New Inn mummer festivals. Our juniors had great sucess in Woodford winning
both days. A very young group played in the seven pubs on St. Stephens day and
got first place. The next day in the hall, the group were sucessful again against
a much older group from Caltra. Gerard Forde won the best junior musician for
his solo performance on the accordion. The senior group was made up of some of
the older juniors and the senior members. The group had no sucess either day,
finishing behind Killaneana and Woodford the first day and Woodford again in the
hall. They did win the best full and half set competition.
On
January 3rd & 4th, sixty four members took part in the Galway Mummer Festival
in New Inn. The Wren Boys, who are our younger group gave a great performance
once again and finished joint fourth with an older group from the New Inn and
Loughrea area. Brian Harris won the group award for his solo dancing and brush
dance. TheMummers group, who are our older junior group came second behind a new
group from Lackagh and won a number of individual awards. Martin James Howley
won the best junior musician once again. Aoife Harris won the best dancer award,
which was a great achievement competing against dancers up to six years older.
Clare Forde won the group award for her solo performance on the fiddle. Our senior
group overcame the dissapointment of Woodford when competing in New Inn for the
first time. The senior group came first out of six groups and won two overall
awards. Mike Nash won the top award as the best overall entertainer of the festival.
Once again a great performance as the man of the house and another great story.
Louise Costello won the best musician award for her solo piano performance. A
well deserved award for her hard work in preparing the senior group and also the
junior mummer group. Lisa Whelan won the group award for her performance as Madge
and her solo on the box. A very enjoyable Christmas was had by everybody who took
part.
See Photos of New Inn Festival
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On
January 6th the branch were represented by two junior groups at the
Galway Mummers Festival in New Inn Community Centre. The “Kilnadeema Mummers”
group won the competition at the third attempt after a very lively and polished
performance. The “Kilnadeema Wren Boys” group got special praise from the adjudicators
for an outstanding performance from such a young group. Individual awards went
to Denise Costello for the “Kilnadeema Mummers” and Gearoid Whelan for the “Kilnadeema
Wren Boys”. Kristine O Neill won the best singer award while Lisa Whelan won the
best musician award.
See
Photo Gallery for more photos.
Thirty-eight
junior members of the branch took part in the Mummer Festivals in Woodford and New
Inn during the Christmas holidays 2000. On
St. Stephen’s day, two groups competed in the junior competition at the Woodford
Mummers Festival. This entailed performing a fifteen minute show in six public
houses. The older group “The Kilnadeema Mummers” took the first prize in the junior
section while the younger group “The Kilnadeema Wren Boys” came second. On
January 6th, after some changes in personnel to strengthen the “Wren
Boys” group, both groups took part in the Galway Mummers Festival, which was held
in the New Inn Community Centre. Both groups staged a twenty minute show of music,
song, set/step dancing, and recitation. The “Kilnadeema Mummers” group took second place behind the Rahen Mummers from
Co.Offaly. The “Wren Boys” finished in third place. The best performing individual
in each group went to Andrew Neylon in the Mummers group for his rendition of
“The Parting Glass” and to Lisa Whelan in the “Wren Boys” group. For the first
time in the twenty two year history of the festival, an overall award went to
a member of a junior group. The best singer of the night award went to Mary Connaughton
who sang “Carrickfergus”. The best musician of the night went to Lisa Whelan on
the button accordeon. This was a great achievement for two thirteen year olds
who were competing against adults for the awards. The Mummers Group Mary
and Eoin Connaughton, Joseph and Kristine O’Neill, David, Richard and Andrew
Neylon, Lean Collins, Michelle Walsh, Ciara Stapleton, Clare Forde, Lisa Lawlor,
Fiona Hynes, Lourda Kennedy, Bernadette Nilan, Martin James Howley, Vivien Towalawi,
and Rachel Ward. The Wren Boys Grace,
Aine and Celine Callanan, Lisa, Gearoid and Conall Whelan, Robert and Denise Costello,
Brian Egan, Gerard Forde, Maureen Donoghue, Claire Lawlor, Sinead Gardiner, Peter
Forde, David Howley, Martina O’ Neill, Carol Connors, Emma Ward, Susan Kennedy,
and Padraic Stapleton. | ||||||
