PHOTOS: De La Salle College Dundalk celebrates 20 years of Class Act talent Show

Click the 'Next >' arrow above or 'Next Story' below to go through the gallery

On Wednesday, 17th December De La Salle College once again descended upon An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk for their annual “Class Act” performance, a show comprised of the best talent from throughout the school community. This year’s show was especially significant, as it marked the 20th anniversary of Class Act, which music teacher Pamela Campbell first started back in 2005. Since then, Class Act has grown into an incredible college tradition, wowing audiences year after year. 

The night was filled with excitement and anticipation as the sold-out crowd took their seats. The first act of the night took to the stage, Noah Rafferty, Miguel Camacho Dos Santos and Daragh Reenan with Mustang Sally, an electric R&B performance to start the night with a bang that had the audience in rapturous applause.

Next, the mood came down with Alex McEneaney’s subdued performance of ABBA’s Slipping Through My Fingers, an emotional display of talent with only vocals and keys that surely had many mothers in the audience teary eyed.

Then, a beautiful teddy bear picnic set was laid out for Jack Galligan’s performance of You and I, backed with a chorus of ukulele players. Jack was on stage representing the college’s Le Chéile class, and he owned that stage! Second Year Conor Matthews followed with Someone You Loved, leaving the audience in awe of his singing. 

A grand piano was then rolled on stage, signifying to the audience that they were about to be wowed. Ronni Univer and Brendan Keaskin took the stage, with Univer on piano and Keaskin on drums, to perform Rondo Alla Turca, which seemed to be an audience highlight judging by the applause that followed. 

Then, returning from last year’s Class Act, Odhran Madden took to the stage once more to perform another Elvis hit, this time with Hound Dog. With this and last year’s Jailhouse Rock, Odhran is quickly becoming a Class Act highlight who never fails to get the crowd moving! James Maguire followed with a captivating solo performance on the grand piano. Between James and Ronni, the college sure is in luck when it comes to A-class piano players.

The instrumental talent continued with Cian Halpin, who took to the stage with electric guitar in hand to perform a cover of House of the Rising Sun, keeping the audience on a high.

Switching it up, a group of basketball-carrying students consisting of Callum Woods, Ben McKeon, Ross Browne, Kevin Donnelly, Salvador Francisco and Seán Garvey took the stage to perform a unique piece, backed to Sweet Child O’ Mine, dribbling their basketballs in beat with the performance, creating one of the most memorable moments of the night.

Next was a comedy piece, The First Years, directed by 6th Year Lee Watters and starring an incredibly hilarious cast of 1st Year students. The skit saw a class of bold children torment a substitute teacher while their Spanish teacher was absent, and all the hijinks that ensue! The boys put on an exceptionally funny performance, taking a very proud bow before an applauding audience.

Closing out Act One was a double wham of impeccable performance: Deaghlan McGovern and Alan Whitmarsh with The Other Side from The Greatest Showman, and Noah Rafferty, Evan Boland, Daragh Reenan and Roonie Univer with Oasis’ Don’t Look Back In Anger, closing out the first act with an absolute high. 

Act Two opened with Mr Halpin and Ms Hoyne’s 5th Year Drama Class, who performed an incredibly hilarious rendition of the Nativity featuring teachers from the college as opposed to the usual Mary and Joseph. The performance, which doubled as the students' Leaving Cert Drama project, had the audience howling with laughter, and featured an especially memorable moment of a baby doll flying across the stage. 

Another act returning to the An Táin stage, Matthew Cavaroli took the stage once again to wow the audience with his skills on the saxophone, this time round performing his rendition of Take Five. He was followed by a duo of 1st Year performers, consisting of Seán McDonagh and Evan Smyth Lennon who had the audience raising their lights in a beautiful moment of crowd participation. 

Switching it up again, Oisín O’Mealaoin and Ryan Martin took the stage to perform a classical Irish piece, with Oisín on uilleann pipes and Ryan on the harp. The boys were followed by Ben McKeon on acoustic guitar, who performed a rendition of Zach Bryan’s Burn Burn Burn, transforming Class Act into a full country concert.

Next, a large group of students clad in Santa hats took to the stage to perform Wham!’s Last Christmas, fronted by Andrew Brady and Adam Finnegan. 

Ronni Univer returned to the stage to perform a fantastic solo piece Moonlight Sonata Movement 3 on the piano, undoubtedly shocking the audience while reminding them of his pure musical talent. He was followed by another returning audience favourite, with 6th Year group The Combovers making their grand return to the stage to perform Uptown Funk, leaving the audience in fits of laughter.

Next, in a fantastic display of the De La Salle community, past pupils Colm Bellew, Enoch Elewa, Oisin Dixon and Ronan Byrne returned to the Class Act stage alongside Deaghlan McGovern and Donnchadh Siclair  to perform their rendition of Cod Liver Oil. The performance was definitely one of the most moving of the night, seeing previous De La Salle students take to the stage again in honour of the 20th anniversary of the show they themselves participated in many times. 

To close out the night, JP Ogabamidele, Justin Awosanya,  James Maguire and Peniel Ogooluwa Kupoluyi captivated the audience with their medley of Fly Me to the Moon & Isn’t She Lovely, an incredible display of musicianship to end the lineup.

Read Next: Fire damages cabins at Dundalk sports facility in early morning incident

Anticipation was high as the judges took the stage to announce their winners. This years judges were made up of three past pupils and former winners, Daire Stanley, Helena Mullens and Sam Ogobamidele. In the end, the 5th Year Nativity took home Best Variety Act, JP & Band took home Best Musical Act, The Combovers won Audience Favourite in a landslide, and Ronni Univer took home the coveted Best Act award for his piano solo. Overall, the De La Salle College reminded us why they continually produce an incredible show – the talent, determination and skill of the students who put themselves on stage. Special thanks to all involved behind the scenes to make the show possible, and we can’t wait to see what the college pulls out for next year's show!

A special thanks to our main sponsor Dundalk Credit Union and also to those who sponsored a spot prize. We look forward to welcoming you all to our show in 2026!