Upcoming Concert: ‘Dream of Gerontius’

The choir is delighted to have been invited to perform Edward Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ with the East Cork Choral Society at the opening Gala concert of the Cork International Choral Festival, at City Hall, Cork, on Wednesday 30th April 2025 at 8p.m. The concert features magnificent soloists Gavin Ring, Tenor; Raphaela Mangan, Mezzo-soprano and Gyula Nagy, Baritone, with the Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Keith Pascoe. 

For more information please see our Upcoming Concerts page.  Please join our mailing list to be kept informed of future concerts.

     

Gavin Ring                      Raphaela Mangan
Tenor                                  Mezzo Soprano

       

Gyula Nagy                       Keith Pascoe
Baritone                             Conductor

 

View a video of Ciarán Kelly, our Music Director, talking about this great work and the Cork International Choral Festival.

 

The Guinness Choir at the Cork International Choral Festival, 1959 to 1966

We are thrilled that our PhD scholar, Roddy O’Keeffe, will be giving a public talk at 2p.m. on the opening day of the Festival – Wednesday 30th April – at the Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork School of Music, Union Quay, Ballintemple, Cork. Admission is Free. His talk draws on his research of the extensive choir archives. It will focus on the long relationship between the choir and the Festival and is titled ‘The Guinness Choir at the Cork International Choral Festival, 1959 to 1966’

        

Roddy O’Keeffe    The Guinness Choir, 1960’s

Here’s a short video of Roddy outlining his research of the choir’s archive which will inform his talk at the Cork International Choral Festival.

Choral Composition Commission

The Guinness Choir celebrates its 75th anniversary during the 2026/27 season and has sought proposals from composers to create a new work in recognition of this milestone. Renowned Irish composer, Seán Doherty, will create a twenty minute choral cantata based on the text from a new work by celebrated Dublin poet Paula Meehan. It will receive its premiere performance during the choir’s 75th anniversary season.

Hitting the Right Note with Spry Finance

The Guinness Choir is delighted that Spry Finance is its new lead sponsor. As part of a three-year sponsorship agreement, funding from Spry, Ireland’s sole provider of lifetime loans, will go towards the cost of running the choir, including rehearsals and performances.
 
Hear what the members have to say about being in the choir. Have a listen to three interviews, sponsored by Spry Finance, with members of the choir as they describe the benefits and joy they get from singing in The Guinness Choir.
 
       
 
 

 

The Guinness Choir

The Guinness Choir was founded in 1951, over 70 years ago, for the employees of the Guinness brewery. It is one of the oldest mixed voice choirs in Dublin and was one of the earliest workplace choirs in Ireland. The choir has since left the ambit of the brewery and is an independent, self-funded, choir attracting amateur singers from all over Dublin and beyond to sing the great oratorios and major classical works as well as the many beautiful choral works from the renaissance, baroque, modern and contemporary eras. Over the years, the choir has given many hundreds of amateur singers the opportunity and privilege to perform these works with professional orchestras and soloists in major venues in Ireland and abroad. Please join our mailing list to be kept informed of future concerts, and information will be on our Upcoming Concerts page.

 

Music Director – Ciarán Kelly

Ciarán Kelly, Music Director

Ciarán Kelly took up his appointment as our new Music Director in September 2022.

Ciarán hails from Derry and has sung competitively and as a performer in Ireland, the UK and America. He is the recently appointed Head of Music in King’s Hospital School, Palmerstown and is a former Assistant Director of Music at St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Dublin. Ciarán has an MMus in Choral Conducting, is an experienced choral tutor and has led workshops with choral societies, schools and universities in the UK, Europe and Asia. He was also founder and artistic director of Ardú, a professional prizewinning vocal ensemble. He was appointed Choral Director of Cór Linn in August 2023.

 

Future Plans

The Guinness Choir will perform JS Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’, German version, on Wednesday 3rd December 2025 in the National Concert Hall (NCH), Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin.

In mid June 2026 we will embark on a four-day singing tour of England, including concerts in Cambridge, Norwich and other locations in Norfolk and Suffolk. 

For more information please see our Upcoming Concerts 

Our Rehearsal Venue

Holy Trinity Church, Rathmines is our wonderful rehearsal venue. The church includes a generous, comfortable rehearsal space and full washroom facilities. There is free on-street car parking (after 7pm) and the Beechwood Luas stop is 7 minutes walking distance. Rehearsals are held every Tuesday from 7:30p.m. to 9:45p.m. from September to May. There is a short tea/coffee break to catch up with friends.

Joining the choir

Microphone

For general information or if you would like to be included on a panel for future audition, please see: joining The Guinness Choir

 

The Guinness choir is also on Mastodon.ie

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