Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, February 28

The 5th annual Ireland Sacred Harp Convention was held in St. Maries of the Isle School, Cork, Ireland, on the first Sunday and Saturday before in March. The class was called to order by Declan Synnott leading 171. Nancy Kulik offered the opening prayer.

Leaders: Lisa O’ Grady 30t; Kate Kirwan 28t; Bryan Seale 28b; Sinead Hanrahan 101t; Amanda Parkes 186; Ronan O’ Donovan 545; Colleen Jones 84; Rob Wedgbury 111b; Kevin Kennedy 42; Leah Hearne 155; Sadhbh O’ Flynn 187; Nancy Kulik 503; Kieran Murphy 29t; Ewan Paterson 277; Ross Harbison 318; Hugh McKenna 178; Fergal Malone 430.

RECESS

Daire O’ Sullivan called the class back to order leading 89. Leaders: Elisabeth Schallwig 312b; Sarah West 498; Renata Pekowska 159; Clara Grimes 344; Florent Decherf 290; Emma Rock 567; Jo Ellis 474; Kevin Kennedy 486; Marjorie Brown 142; Ruth McNamara 34b; Edmund Richardson 415; Sue Lord 163b; Janos David Richard 65; Sam Carter 270; Guy Hayes 348t; Sarah Hill 200; Eimear O’ Donovan 276 (for Rick Cunningham); Barry Parsons 145t; Al McCready 227; Ella Cumber 220; Martha Beverly 504; Amelia Osborn 445. The blessing before lunch was offered by Nancy Kulik.

LUNCH

Lisa O’ Grady and Tivey called the class back to order leading 99. Leaders: Matthew Parkinson 460; Steve Brett 456; Gosia Perycz 174; Steven Levine 218; Joe Jones 113; Cath Tyler 189; Melissa Kelley 328; Thom Fahrbach 553; Helen Brown 542; Jonathon Smith 411; Sam Kleinman 546; Eamonn O’ Neill 532; Steve Helwig 302; Richard Ivey and Jacob Dobson 212; Dan Brittain 193; Fynn Titford-Mock 355; AnnaLeigh Smith 436; Erin Johnson-Hill 329; Paul Wyatt 464; Kelsey Ivey 500; Gideon Dresdner 340; Anne Missavage 280; Gabriel Kyne 428.

RECESS

Vicki Elliott and Chris Saywell called the class back to order leading 425. Leaders: Dick Patterson 466; Sheila Girling Macadam 173; Rebecca Over 378b; Lamar Matthew 35; Csaba Koymayer 73b; Bob Borcherding 34t; Jessica Sligter 404; Len VanderJagt 452; Zach Lindahl 73t; Carolyn Deacy 368; Duane Nasis 336; Donna Gunderson-Rogers 52t; Edwin Macadam 181; Myles Louis Dakan 72b; Joanna Bennett 122; Tom Macarte and Megan Macarte 410b; Kate Coxon 128; Barb VanderJagt and Chris Lyons 146; Jon Giles 182; Nick Hall and Rachel Jordan 273; Bill Beverly 547; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 472; Betsy Jeronen 560; Harry Scott 168; Declan Synnott 335. Marjorie Brown offered a prayer to close the day.

Sunday, March 1

The Sunday session of the Ireland Sacred Harp Convention was called to order by Declan Synnott leading 37b. The morning prayer was offered by Hugh McKenna.

Leaders: Lisa O’ Grady 39t; Kate Kirwan 32t; Sinead Hanrahan 33b; Amanda Parkes 36b; Samantha Cole 224; Florent Decherf 133; Ewan Paterson 59; Teresa Maguire 106; Ted Brown 105; Kevin Kennedy 26; Richard Ivey 201; Leopoldine Guillaume and Tivey 49t; Jo Ellis 272; Sarah Hill 206; Magdalena Osthaus 30t; Zach Lindahl 306; Gosia Perycz 94; Megan Macarte 176t; Boyan Pohl 271t; Scott Lewin 383; Thom Fahrbach and Cornelia Van Den Doel 107.

RECESS

Bryan Seale called the class back to order by leading 30b. Leaders: Joe Jones 473; Fynn Titford-Mock 491; Julie Heeran 45t; Tom Macarte 401; Geoff Grainger 535; Rachael Adelstein 268; Juniper Hill 269.

Colleen Jones gave the sick and housebound lesson, in which she spoke of the many extents to which illness can affect our lives. She read the names of the following people: Ethan Hurwitz, Ian Walker, Daphene Causey, Steve Hoyt, Carol Aitken, Madisson DeNiro, Fiona Griffin, Melanie Held, Sister Pippa, Sue Dann, Paula Mogensen, Anna Pfau, Lynda Allen Wyatt, Steve Harrison, Michelle Holding, James Joseph Kyne, Mary Lowry, Henry Lupo Archibald, Milton Ross Charles, Jow McPartland, Jim Helke, Aaron Milankovich, S.T. Reed, and Toney Smith.

The memorial lesson was then offered by Ted Brown, who spoke of community in the Sacred Harp tradition, drawing a distinction between “singing Sacred Harp” and “being a Sacred Harp Singer”. Colleen and Ted led 566 together in honor of the sick and housebound and also in memory of the following deceased: Somen Goodman, R.J. Garside, and Yvonne Seaton—Canada; Sharon Kellam, Sean Hurley, and Danny Arms—North Carolina, USA; Bill Aplin, Hobert Ivey, Stanly Edwards, Sammie Oliver, Betty Wright, and Olivia Wootten Moore Allen—Alabama, USA; Doris Hanks—Texas, USA; Junie Wooten, Josephine Denney, Raymond Hamrick, and Joyce Harrison—Georgia, USA; David Rust—Indiana, USA; Bob Sullivan—Illinois, USA; David Wampler—Pennsylvania, USA; Jerry Jeronen—Oregon, USA; Liza Berry—Minnesota, USA; Peter Linwood—Florida, USA; Marko Van Der Horst—Rotterdam; Olga Dillaway and Anthony Pears—France; James Burgess—Inverness; John Selviey and Doris Leach—Derby; Mary Goulding and Jane Prendergast—Cork; Geoffrey Natham—Essex; Bill Kerridge and Rina Rogers—London; Orla MacAnallen and Flo Charles—Wales; Alan Thomas—Coventry; Teresa Seale—Portlaoise; Seán Johnston—Thurles; Denis McKenna, Alan Shiel, Kay Clinton, and Kieran Kelly—Dublin; Sassie Davidson—Orkney; Maggie Boyle—Yorkshire; Sr. Bridie Berchmans—Ireland; Joanne MacQuarrie and Mister Metherell—Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; Ploon—Haarlem; Lisbeth—Stockholm; Patricia Price—Sutton; Harold Pigott—Barking.

Leaders: Kelsey Ivey 134; Dan Brittain 121; Helen Brown 475; Betsy Jeronen 564; Duane Nasis 376; Jon Giles 511. Hugh McKenna offered grace before the noon meal.

LUNCH

Sadhbh O’ Flynn called the class back to order leading 204. Leaders: Eva Striebeck 372; Ben Sachs-Hamilton 148; Susannah Gill 327; Sam Kleinman 228; Ed Paton-Williams 314; Myles Louis Dakan 316; Anna Spruch 440; Kate Coxon 196; Phil Tyler 54; Harry Scott 524; Jonathon Smith 360; Jessica Slighter 209; Rebecca Over 470; Al McCready 153; Edwin Macadam and Sheila Girling-Macadam 236; Steve Helwig 400; Carolyn Deacy 288; Lamar Matthew 384; Sandy Semenoff 235; Rachel Jordan 550; Martha Beverly and Bill Beverly 481; Barb VanderJagt and Chris Lyons 496; Bob Borcherding 419; Steven Levine, Dick Patterson, Paul Wyatt, Tivey, Eamonn O’ Neill, Melissa Kelley, AnnaLeigh Smith, and Donna Gunderson-Rogers 217.

RECESS

Cath Tyler called the class back to order leading 367. Leaders: Gabriel Kyne 67; Melissa Kelley 396; Gideon Dresdner 56b; Anne Missavage 137; Ella Cumber 222; Len VanderJagt 350; AnnaLeigh Smith 387; Nick Hall 151; Ruth McNamara 82t; Fynn Titford-Mock, Clare Williams, Alan Williams, Di Chittock, and Emma Rock 362; Gerben Vos and Rob Wedgbury 112; Sarah West 88t; Janos David Richard 315; Teresa Maguire, Amelia Osborn, Marjorie Brown, Josie Gunn and Erin Johnson-Hill 131b; Eamonn O’ Neill 300; Joanna Bennett 69t; Guy Hayes 57; Sadhbh O’ Flynn, Eimear O’ Donovan, Jon Giles, Gideon Dresdner, Al McCready, and Sam Kleinman 216; Steve Brett, Barry Parsons, Samantha Cole, Sue Lord, Jacob Dobson, and Matthew Parkinson 129.

Declan Synnott made closing announcements, thanking all those involved in the organization and running of the day, and thanking visiting singers for travelling. Kate Kirwan reported that 174 songs had been sung by 165 registered singers, with 104 leaders. Thirteen countries were represented (Ireland, the U.K., the U.S. A., France, Hungary, Israel, Canada, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, and Germany). Twelve American states were represented (New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Tennessee). Kevin Kennedy gave the treasurer’s report, stating that all expenses had been met.

Ted Brown offered the closing prayer. Declan Synnott and Lisa O’ Grady led 62 as the closing song, and the class was dismissed.

Chairman—Declan Synnott; Vice Chairman—Lisa O’ Grady; Secretary—Kate Kirwan