Brendan had a gift and a passion. He had been gifted with a remarkable singing voice which put him front and centre at pub nights and social gatherings. Then he was invited by the Armagh City Choir to a rehearsal in the Cathedral, where he found a community of likeminded souls and voices who met simply to make divine music together.
His passion from childhood was to play the kettledrum in the great processions which celebrated the historic battles between Catholic and Protestant communities. Politics had
resorted thirty years ago to the bullet and the gun and less publicly he had become an active member of the paramilitary wing of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
He sometimes wondered about the message in the book of Exodus, which had been a school prize many years before, which read, “You must not ill-treat an alien because you were once
aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” But it only just hovered in the margin of his life which had been entirely spent without meeting people ‘of the other sort’, as they say in Northern Ireland.
Then along came a man called Michael O’Donnell, who literally transformed his sense of how
the world could be and who he could be in it. Michael’s magic was to see that wonderful choirs existed on both sides of the border, which could be yet more wonderful together, but had no connection. So he created the Cross-Border Project which without hectoring or lecturing brought choirs from across the divide together to meet, sing and relax in each other’s company. Within a
few months of the Waterfront Hall opening in Belfast half a dozen choirs from across the divide were performing ‘Haydn’s Creation’ in a jubilation of togetherness.
Music had opened the trapdoors of fear which had previously dominated their minds. Individual choirs like the Satanta Choir from Dundalk and the Armagh City Choir
went on to create their own events extending the celebration of togetherness. People became works of art with shared objectives. Thanks to Michael, a bridge had been built across separateness and anchored in respect.
Brendan meanwhile continues to use his gift and his passion, but now makes music without distinction between people of ‘our sort’ or the ‘other sort’.
Authors
Leslie is an economist who challenges economics’ dominance in public life. His work includes social autobiographies, Little Books of the Common Good and other essays. Find out more about our authors.
Epiphanies
Ashok sows the seeds for personal and community transformations. Read about individuals and communities that have taken on the transformative spirit of Ashok.
Where to buy
Epiphanies
Ashok sows the seeds for personal and community transformations. Read about individuals and communities that have taken on the transformative spirit of Ashok.
Where to buy
Find out more on how to purchase a copy of the book. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.
Find out more on how to purchase a copy of the book. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.
Find out more on how to purchase a copy of the book. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.
Find out more on how to purchase a copy of
the book. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.Authors
Epiphanies
Where to buy
Leslie is an economist who challenges economics’ dominance in public life. His work includes social autobiographies, Little Books of the Common Good and other essays. Find out more about our authors.
Ashok sows the seeds for personal and community transformations. Read about individuals and communities that have taken on the transformative spirit of Ashok.
Find out more on how to purchase a copy of the book. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.