A night of musical entertainment in aid of local dog rescue charity MADRA will take place at the Forge Bar, Moycullen on Saturday, March 1 from 8.30pm.
Entertainment on the night will be provided by a host of well-known performers and will offer a combination of gospel, pop, classical, jazz and swing to deliver a fun-filled night in aid of a very worthy cause.
Local soprano super group Bel Canto will perform at the ‘Music for MADRA’ event, together with Galway Gospel Choir, Moycullen Musical Society and well-known entertainers Mags Heffernan, Stephen Macken,
Michael Coen, Padraig Connaugthon, Dave Langan and Michelle Conroy.
Bel Canto is a soprano group combining the stunning, award-winning voices of Delia Boyce, Sandra Schalks and Hildegarde Naughton, and directed by Mairéad Berrill. All three sopranos have been fixtures on the stages of the West of Ireland and beyond for many years in musicals, concerts, opera, operetta and drama, picking up countless plaudits and awards along the way.
Galway Gospel Choir is one of Ireland’s top Gospel choirs and has been lifting the spirits of Galway audiences since 2001 under the musical direction of Michel Durham. Forty-strong, their joyous, feel-good sound is guaranteed to bring a smile to any face.
Mags Heffernan is a renowned entertainer on the Galway scene for many years as both a solo performer and with Mystic Lipstick and the
Guinness Jazz Band. Mags has also written two musicals, ‘Johnny Angel’ and ‘Lynched’.
Stephen Macken is the current holder of the national Best Male Voice award from the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS ). He has starred in several productions with Galway Musical Society and others, most recently, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ and ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.
Michael Coen will be bringing the swing to the show; Michael is one of the most respected performers on the Western Stage, stamping his
talent on any part he has played with the dramatic and musical societies of Galway and Mayo. Michael also starred in the one-man show
‘Sinatra, a Man and His Life’ in the Sugar Club in Dublin in 2010.
Padraig Connaugthon is a regular performer with the West Coast Big Band, and in Massimo’s and the Galway Bay Hotel. Padraig recently sang
with sopranos Celine Byrne, Regina Nathan and Cara O’Sullivan, and the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Leisureland at The Three Sopranos
Summer Gala.
Dave Langan was twice nominated for the AIMS Best Male Voice award, and has performed in major roles with every major musical society in
the West of Ireland. Moycullen audiences may remember him from his appearance at Moycullen Musical Society's 'ABBA night' in November
2013.
Michelle Conroy is a singer, actress and artist based in Mayo who will be making a guest appearance on the night, and Peter Tobin - a hugely respected Moycullen-based musician - will provide accompaniment on the night.
Admission fee €10 for adults and €5 for children (no tickets ). All proceeds from the event will go to support the work of Connemara-based dog rescue charity MADRA Mutts Anonymous Dog Rescue and Adoption. For more information about MADRA go to www.madra.ie
