Enchiriadis in performance

Castlebar is becoming one of the country’s premier towns for concerts, with many artists visiting its Royal Theatre as part of national and international tours. Fitting then that a choral performance in honour of the Mayo Peace Park at the Theatre should inspire singer and choir member Eamon Horkan to make it a centre for choral music in Ireland through the establishment of the Mayo Choral Festival. This is the festival’s first year, and combined competitions, gala concerts and tours of Mayo’s towns to create an environment where international and Irish choirs could get to know each other’s work.

The main focus of the festival, however, was the competitions, where choral groups from Ireland and abroad competed in nine different categories for trophies and monetary prizes. The Malahide-based chamber choir Enchiriadis, formed in 1985 by Dr Marion Doherty Hayden, were overall winners, awarded not only the Premier Competition for International Choirs, but the Competition for Mixed Voice Choirs from Ireland. Since the direction of the choir was taken over in 2001 by Cathal Clinch, the choir has toured extensively, including a performance in Carnegie Hall in 2010, and has won numerous awards, earning it a reputation as one of the strongest mixed voice choirs in the country.

The full table of results of the Mayo Choral Festival competitions is as follows:

Premier Competition for International Choirs 
Winner: Enchiriadis
Runner-up: Ad Hoc Chorale.

Choirs from Ireland, Mixed Voices. S.A.T.B.
Winner: Enchiriadis
Runner-up: Cill Aodain Choral Society

Female Voices
Winner: Gracenotes
Runner-up: Ballina Chamber Choir

Male Voices
Winner: Wexford Male Voice Choir
Runner-up: Mayo Male Voice Choir

Sacred Music Choirs
Winner: Sofienberg Choir, Norway
Runner-up: Dunmore Church Choir

Gospel Choirs
Winner: Galway Gospel Choir
Runner-up: Rejoice Gospel Choir

Gaelic or Celtic Language
Amhrán is Fearr i nGaeilge nó i dTeanga Ceilteach
Winner: Enchiriadis

Barbershop Chorus
Winner: No Half Measures
Runner-up: Tone Cold Sober

Barbershop Quartet
Winner: Note-Orious 4

mayochoral.com