ACC goes to Ireland!

In June 2010, ACC’s touring choir, Concert Choir, embarked on their first solo tour. This tour landed them on the shores of the Emerald Isle. From June 18th to the 27th, the choir toured the beautiful countryside as well as performed in beautiful churches in several of the counties in Ireland. A total of 70 people traveled to Ireland including choristers, chaperones and family members.

For some of the children on the trip, it was the first time they had ever been out of the United States let alone on an airplane. At their first performance in County Limerick, some of the local attendees knew “Country Roads” and sang along when they choir performed this song for their finale. The fact many of the Irish people knew the tune, surprised many in the entourage. The children also were happy to be so warmly welcomed by the people in each county they visited.

From horse drawn buggy rides in Killarney to tours of ancient castles, all in the entourage were immersed in the beauty of Ireland. One of the amazing highlights was driving through the magnificent Dingle Penninsula. Some of the roads were barely passable by oncoming traffic. At one point, there was such a sharp corner in the road, one bus had to wait as the other went through what they termed, “Devil’s Elbow”.

The children held impromptu performances during some of their sight-seeing adventures such as in a Gothic Chapel at Kylemore Abbey in Galway, at the ruins at Clonmacnoise and in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.

One of the most memorable moments of the tour occurred when the choir performed at St. Mary’s Parish Church in Lucan, a town near Dublin. As Concert choir performed “Ireland’s Call”, the children from the parish choir sang along as they sat in their seats watching the performance. Feeling the excitement of the children, director, Selina Midkiff, invited the parish choir children to join the ACC children. Together they performed “Ireland’s Call” to a cheering crowd and brought the house down. In fact, several of the children in the parish choir were ready to stow away in the director’s luggage so they could come to the U.S. with ACC.

Reviewing a DVD about the Ireland trip so wonderfully compiled by Gary Midkiff, it brought back such wonderful memories of the children and their time in Ireland. During one stop in County Killarney, the children spent time shopping in a store complete with every type of Irish souvenir one could think of. The sales clerk commented that she sees many tour groups come through the store. The ACC choristers were some of the most well-behaved children she encountered. What a great compliment for our children!