Special service will remember suicide victims

A special memorial service, titled 'God’s Healing Power of Music', will be held in the Sacred Heart Church Kilmainhamwood on Sunday 10th November at 4pm. The service will remember all those who have passed on, especially the victims of suicide.

Special guest is singer and harpist Marina Cassidy from Meath and it will include the choirs of The Sacred Heart Church Kilmainhamwood, St Patrick’s Church Tierworker and The Church of the Nativity of the BVM Kilbeg.

Marina Cassidy's musical talent was quickly spotted, so that she began her musical education at the age of six. When at Mount Sackville, Dublin, she studied both harp and singing for years under excellent tutelage, and it is these twin talents that she has continued to nurture ever since, not least in London at the Mayer Lismann Opera Centre. Many awards have been won, most notably the Irish Vocal Heritage Award 2000, gold medals at Feis Ceol, and the Alec Redshaw Trophy for best classical song recital. Since moving to Killarney, Co Kerry where she lives with her husband Tim and their 5 children she continued her vocal studies at the Cork School of Music.

In 2012, her skills as a singer / harpist gained her a Fellowship of The Guild of Musicians and Singers in the UK.  She holds a Diploma with Distinction in Singing Performance  from The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music in the UK and in Harp Teaching from  Trinity College of Music, London and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She also has a B Ed (Honours) Degree.

As a young musician, Marina performed at a number of Irish venues, including Bunratty  and Knappogue Castles in Co. Clare, but a period at the Park Hotel, Kenmare, Co Kerry  provided something of a career breakthrough. Here, her talent and delightful personality were displayed before guests who were visiting from all over the world and she received invitations to perform in venues in the US, France, Germany, Holland, Denmark and the UK. Everyone is welcome to this beautiful ceremony of music and prayers of remembrance which is free of charge.

Fr John Cooney, Parish Priest of Kilmainhamwood will lead the memorial service.  Musical Director of the choirs is Bernadette Curtis. Musicians performing at the service are from the local area and include organist Derek Eakins, flautist Nichola Shankey, guitarist Sharon Kavanagh, tin whistle Anne Eogan, Brendan Curtis on melodica and Sharon Argue on violin.

The choirs will open the service singing Here In Christ We Gather written by Ephreem Feeley, followed by two songs written by Liam Lawton; Here Us Lord and There Are Many Rooms. Other songs performed will include The Deer’s Cry and I Believe sung by Marina Cassidy.  She will be accompanied by the choirs for the Mozart Alleluia and Antiphon. Precious Lord will be sung by Joy Opute who will be joined by the choirs for Amazing Grace.  Andrew Shankey with the choir will sing Love Is The Boat, written by Ian Callanan.

Bernard Kiernan, Kathleen McGovern and the choirs will sing another Ian Callanan piece entitled The Warm Embrace.  Brenda Shields will be accompanied by the choirs for a song written by Ephreem Feeley called In The Presence of Your Holy Angels.  Marina Cassidy will sing The Lord Bless You and Keep You, written by John Rutter.  Megan Foley, with the choirs, will sing Today I Lit A Candle. Catherina Reilly will sing I Will Rest In You joined by the choirs.  The service will conclude with the song Jouney Of A Soul sung by Bernard Kiernan and the choirs.

The choirs of Kilmainhamwood and Kilbeg performed with Liam Lawton at the concert held last December.  The Kilmainhamwood and Kilbeg Choirs were joined by the Tierworker Church Choir for the Three Tenors concert held last May.  These two events were also held in the Church of the Sacred Heart Kilmainhamwood.

 Denis Finegan