BUSINESS trips to the UK, France and Germany backed by Failte Ireland’s Sales Connect, are recruiting choirs and choral groups for Limerick Sings International Choral Festival. Set to take place over the June bank holiday weekend next year, the incoming hundreds will be provided with a platform in various city venues and with tours, excursions and activities.
Arts page introduced the public to the concept first in a July interview with baritone Ger Reidy, who has been working on the project since 2011.
Limerick Sings is going to be a non-competitive event designed to showcase Limerick at its best to the world, running May 31-June 2.
The launch of Limerick’s newest festival took place in Savoy Hotel, led by a rounded committee of hoteliers, travel agents, choral leaders and event/ venue managers. Minister for Housing and Planning officiated at the reception attended by Pat Daly of Shannon Development, Dean Planter of Fáilte Ireland, Hugh Maguire of Hunt Museum, Linda Stevens of Campus Life Services and hoteliers/ restaurateurs Helen O’Donnell of Limerick City Business Association, Sean Lally, Padraic Frawley and Altaf Khan.
“There is huge potential in this to bring a large number of people to Limerick, not just to hotels but to shops and all other business,” stated the Minister.
The Savoy’s Ronan Branigan is chairperson of the committee; Tony Brazil of Limerick Travel and Shannon Sports and Conference Bureau is another festival founder. All choral bookings will be managed by his events office at Bedford Row.
“We all have the one goal now,” said a delighted Mr Reidy. “I linked up to like minded people from Failte Ireland, UL, the tourism business and am getting a very good vibe. Some of our six-strong committee were in the UK last week in a Failte Ireland financed trop to specialist operators and we got a great reaction. We’re hoping to get some UK people over here on a familiarisation trip in February”.
Limerick Sings event manager Dolores Hanley, of Voices of Limerick, confirmed that “the focus is to get choirs to the city, to get them in around the town, around the shops and hopefully, have a discount organised for festival performers. The reaction out there has been wonderful Every hotel will have a volunteer choral ambassador in place to run a ‘meet and greet’ desk over the weekend, providing information, guidance and direction on Limerick to the tourists”.
More news in time on the developing entity of Limerick Sings, and see www.limericksings.com
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