Presented by Anne Cassin, the All-Island School Choir Competition is a five-part television series celebrating and encouraging the tradition of choral music in second-level schools throughout Ireland.
Organised by Co-operation Ireland, in association with RTÉ, the series features twenty choirs competing in four regional finals, building up to the Grand Final live from the Titanic Centre in Belfast on Sunday November 16th. This year, for the first time, one of the four regional finals will be staged in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, the burial place of Brian Ború. For a second successive year, two regional events will be held in the magnificent St. Patrick’s College Chapel at NUI Maynooth. The Curtis Auditorium in the Cork School of Music will host the fourth regional final.
The four regional finals will be transmitted on successive Sunday evenings, beginning on Sunday 19th October on RTÉ One. The RTÉ Player will also feature additional material from each of the four regional events and the Today with Sean O’Rourke programme on RTÉ Radio One as well as RTÉ’s Lyric FM, will provide extensive coverage of the competition. The competition was launched in 2009 and is now in its sixth year. Last year’s winners, Presentation College, Ballyphehane, were also victorious in 2010. The other winners were Methodist College, Belfast (2012 and 2009), and Wesley College, Ballinteer (2011).
Episode Billing – Sunday 2nd November, RTÉ One at 5.20pm:
Anne Cassin presents the All-Island School Choir Competition’s third regional final from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh featuring choirs from Ballyclare High School, Co. Antrim; Prior Integrated College, Holywood, Co. Down; St. Mary’s College, Co. Derry; Sullivan Upper School, Holywood, Co. Down; and Thornhill College, Co. Derry.