Tullamore choir to feature on new TG4 show

An Offaly group features on a new TG4 show this weekend searching for Ireland's best choir.

Curfá is a brand-new exciting entertainment series for TG4 produced by Tyrone Productions and presented by Doireann Ní Ghlacáin. Over 10 weeks, 18 amazing choirs are narrowed down to just 3 who will perform in the grand finale with some very special guest performers!

Coming from The Helix in Dublin, in each episode, the choirs will sing two songs each before two of the choirs battle it out in a ‘chorus-off’ to get one step closer to the ultimate accolade of being the nation’s favourite. It’s all in a bid to win the amazing prize of €5000 and the chance to sing on stage with one of the country’s biggest stars, Nathan Carter!

The choirs hail from all over the country, from Belfast to Cork, Galway to Dublin. Our youngest choir is a fabulous secondary school choir from Loughrea, Co Galway and our most senior (and most wise!) choir is the Mayfield Men’s Shed Choir from Cork. These choirs have some wonderful stories, from The Sea of Change Choir, a group of cancer survivors who came together after winning a world record for the largest skinny dip in the world, to The Visionaries Choir whose members are blind or partially sighted.

Then there is The Harmammies Choir, a mother and baby group who bring their babies to rehearsals, the HSE Harmonies Choir which comprises of HSE frontline healthcare workers, and the special Ukrainian Action Choir whose members are Ukrainian refugees who have come to Ireland and who perform as Gaeilge as well as singing traditional Ukrainian protest songs. There are songs to suit all audiences and all tastes in this series, including traditional, choral, jazz, pop and gospel.

In the first episode this Sunday night, we meet The Academy Chamber Choir based in Tullamore, County Offaly which was founded by Ciarán Brady and his wife, Martina in 2007. The choir sings a varied classical repertoire from church hymns to modern classics with a focus on their unique set of voices. They have won the National Choir of the Year and a particular special moment for the choir was performing in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. The members come from all over the midlands and further afield to practice with one goal in mind; the celebrate music and hopefully move the audience to tears.

Also featured in the first episode it The Open Arts Community Choir an award winning, dynamic, inclusive choir based in Belfast. The choir demonstrates how people from different cultural backgrounds, with and without disabilities, come together through the medium of song to be positive ambassadors for Northern Ireland since their founding in 2000.

The choirs throughout the series are all united by one aim to impress the esteemed judges, Moya Brennan of Clannad, composer Colm Ó Foghlú and award-winning traditional singer Nell Ní Chróinín.

Curfá will be broadcast on Sunday nights at 8.30pm for 10 weeks, beginning on Sunday, October 15.