The choir which is based in Gorey, performed a mix of contemporary pieces such as Fix You by Coldplay and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol with the Taizé format of a prayerful form of music known for its simple, yet rich and meditative character.
“Our whole message is to promote unity, to promote reconciliation through our music, to promote peace hence why our main concert in Omagh was in the Church of Ireland. Even though, many of our members would be from a Catholic background, we feel that traditional divides need to break down and yield to something more unifying on this island so that what happened in Omagh on that day can be a watershed moment,” said founder of the Peace Choir Phil Brennan.
The choir began 10 months after the Omagh Bombing 25 years ago, and has 35 members from all across Ireland including Gorey, Carlow, Tullow, Dublin, Omagh and Waterford.
Although they didn’t dwell on the bombing during their visit to Omagh, it was important that people understood the story of the bombing and what happened that day. “We did a tour of the town as well and we did a vigil at the memorial, not too far away from the bomb site. A local piper David Caulwell played a lament at the memorial.”
“The rain came down and it was almost fitting that the rain came down at that moment because there was a sadness about it too that we shouldn’t forget the 31 lives were lost including two unborn children,” said Phil.
15 year old Claire Gallagher inspired the choir after being seriously injured on August 15, 1998 during the worst terrorist attack that visited Northern Ireland during the troubles.
“She was in town with friends, just like so many others that day and they were ushered down to the bottom of the town, being told that the bomb was going to go off at the courthouse, they all thought they were safe and weren’t taking it that seriously. At 3.12p.m. a red Vauxhall Cavalier carrying explosives exploded in front of her and she lost her sight whilst many others died around her,” said Phil.
Nine months after the bombing Claire travelled to Waterford where Phil was teaching at the time and they presented her with an award for her courage in the aftermath of the bombing. Their choir in Waterford linked up with a choir in Omagh to sing ‘A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ and shortly after that, the Peace Choir was established.
Within months of the bombing, Claire was back in school completing her O level exams on the way to realising her childhood dream of becoming a piano teacher. By her early 30s, she had opened her own Music Academy in Omagh and more recently graduated with a Master of Arts in Music Psychology for Education, Performance and Wellbeing from University of Sheffield. 25 years on from the bombing, Claire is married to Ryan Bowes and they have three children Oran, Conor and Cara.
One of the highlights of the Peace Choir’s weekend in Omagh recently was that many of the newer members had the opportunity to meet Claire for the first time when she visited their workshop with her husband and daughter and played the grand piano for them.
“She spoke to us about coping with adversity, she’s remarkable. She was determined from the day of the bombing that the bomb would define her future path in life, that she would and whilst she may not have her sight, she could still play the piano, she could still hear and communicate. As far as she was concerned she was going to live the fullest version of life possible to her.”
“It was a very special and poignant weekend because we were connecting back to our routes and where it all started in Omagh 25 years ago. For the choir to meet Claire in person.”
“We hear of terrorist attacked but to see and meet somebody like Claire and look at how that bombing affected her, it just makes you very angry that people from Southern Ireland would plant that bomb there that day in our name. It brings to life the futility of it and the sheer craziness of violence,” said Phil.
Members of the Peace Choir thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Omagh and the warm welcome they received from everyone they met. Jacinta Wilde is one of the members of the choir from Gorey and said it was an honour and privilege to sing in St Columba’s Church on Saturday 15.
“It was a profoundly moving but also a very uplifting experience and I hope that we brought some comfort to those who experienced such violence in August 1998. It is comforting to know that they will never be forgotton and that love and hope will always triumph over adversity,” Jacinta.
“I feel so lucky to be part of the Peace Choir, we work hard to create a sound that connects to the soul. Omagh was very special, meeting Claire, remembering Linda and singing in St. Columbas Church was inspiring, humbling and uplifting. Something beautiful was created from the tragedy of the Omagh bombing,” Eleanor Leonard who is a member of the choir.
Most of choir’s musicians are from Gorey such as Mandy O’Callaghan who plays the piano, Aileen Kennedy on the harp and her sister Áine on the violin, Elaine Brennan played the flute while Phil played the guitar.
The Peace Choir have finished up for the summer but will hold auditions on September 7 in the Methodist Community Hall in Gorey.