Online concert gave Tipperary secondary school's community a great boost

Shannon O’Brien, Sadhbh O’Loughlin, Jaden Ryan, Caoimhe Crotty and Róisín Hickey performed during A Presmas Wonderland at the White Memorial Theatre in Clonmel. Picture John D Kelly

placeholder image — Shannon O’Brien, Sadhbh O’Loughlin, Jaden Ryan, Caoimhe Crotty and Róisín Hickey performed during A Presmas Wonderland at the White Memorial Theatre in Clonmel. Picture John D Kelly

Presentation school Clonmel live streamed A Presmas Wonderland

Presentation Secondary School, Clonmel made history in December with their very first livestreamed event, which was their Christmas concert A Presmas Wonderland.

The concert took place in the White Memorial Theatre on December 17 and was broadcast into the homes of those in the Presentation community, both past and present.

“Presmas,” which saw almost 50 students taking to the stage (in carefully coordinated Covid-safe pods), was a celebration of the arts in the Presentation.

Dynamic dance routines, poignant poetry readings, elaborate instrumental pieces and soulful songs entertained the hundreds of viewers who joined the stream on the night.

The concert also recognised the visual arts in the school with slideshows of student work, photography, and craft.

Of course, in keeping with Presentation tradition, a special teacher act was revealed on the night, with Ms O’Sullivan’s dance group bounding onto the stage with an energetic jive.

Adding to the sense of Presentation community were three special guests. Rachel Browne, Sinead O’ Donovan and Sarah O’ Gorman, all past pupils of the school, returned to their roots to perform once again on the White Memorial stage.

All three women, who have made their professional mark in the arts and music industry, expressed their gratitude to the school for the many years of happiness and musical creativity that they experienced during their time in the Presentation.

A Presmas Wonderland, which can still be viewed on the school’s YouTube channel (Presentation Secondary School Clonmel), was run in conjunction with a GoFundMe fundraiser for the school.

Above: Emily Fitzgerald, Molly O’Brien and Ada Hennessy on stage at the White Memorial Theatre

The 15-strong committee of staff members set a huge target of €8,000 for the event, and both staff and students were thrilled to see the figure finally close at an astounding €8,200.

The money from the GoFundMe will be used to improve student life and wellbeing in the Presentation across all areas of the school. Huge thanks must go to the school’s wonderful benefactors, who contributed both to the GoFundMe and directly to the school.

Fundraising aside, the feedback from the students was enlightening. The students expressed the joy and excitement of being able to perform on stage once again, and some stated that this was one of the best experiences of their school lives so far.

Above: Alice Sweeney, Aoibhe Condon, Cara Patterson and Rachel O’Mahony perform during the school show

In these troublesome Covid times, having the opportunity to perform - even in an empty theatre - boosted the wellbeing, confidence and happiness of the students.

The school hopes to continue to support their creativity and wellbeing by getting their annual musical back on stage next October.

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