'Being part of a choir became in reality a lifetime commitment.'

'Being part of a choir became in reality a lifetime commitment.'

Theresa Byrne remembers the years she spent as a part of the choir and the special relationships she developed with the other members. She remembers how they celebrated their 21st birthdays together and enjoyed outings in the summer and at Christmas. Although the members changed over the years, the choir remained a closeknit group.

Theresa Byrne

Trinity College Dublin

1970

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Theresa Byrne

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

Dublin

1970s

Being part of a choir became in reality a lifetime commitment. We all grew up, we all reached the age of twenty-one and all of us gathered to celebrate that milestone. They were referred to then as all night parties and held in the birthday person's house, usually on a Saturday night. Next morning, all of us would get the first Mass of the day which was at 6 am and then make our way home.Throughout the years spent in the choir, we had many changes in musical directors. We lost and gained members but somehow this all worked, it all clicked into place, just like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces all matched up, even new one and, in the end, they somehow knit together. Every summer we enjoyed an outing, a day out and when Christmas came, we had the Christmas dinner. Thinking back now, those times were really, really special occasions spent with really, really special people.All of my friends in the choir married and had families and for some they lived too far away, for others life was just too busy. Many of us stayed. For example, every Sunday morning my husband would come to hear us sing with our children and even when my daughter was in a carrycot, she too came along. They grew up around my hobby, my activities and knew my commitment to it and learned what commitment meant.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)