Sounds of Semple: The children from Templemore produced a marvellous tune to light up summer!

The official launch of the ‘The Sounds of Semple’ video that the school children from Templemore (St Colmcilles and St Joseph’s) have been working on in recent months took place to much uproar and joy at the Templemore Arms Hotel last Thursday evening.

It is a project in partnership with Music Generation Tipperary involving  200 excited primary school children that have put in hours of effort and practice in preparation for the Munster championship where they can perform to a huge audience.

The pupils were asked to imagine what a game day sounded like and the feelings, colour and noise of Munster final day at Semple Stadium became the overriding sensation of what it was all about. This tune is just that, and this tune contains all the elements of the big sporting days in Thurles.

The children have been working with Peter O Toole from the band The Hot House Flowers to reimagine the game of hurling into a form of musical expression.

Music Generation Tipperary’s ‘Sounds of Semple’ is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Arts Council/An Comhairle Ealaíon and the Department of Education.

The students involved were asked to imagine what the day of the Munster Final at Semple Stadium would sound like, working with music facilitators from Music Generation and the resulting song is fantastic. With its accompanying choreography, they’re hoping it will become ‘The Tipperary Haka!’

The project is epic in scale and involves percussion, singing, instruments and much more. St Colmcilles school itself has many teachers with big experience of big days in the Munster championship. The Principal there  is Conor Doyle who is a grandson of the legendary John Doyle, winner of eight All-Ireland medals with Tipperary in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Conor forged his own memories of big hurling days becoming a well known intercounty referee where he took charge of knockout championship hurling games.  The Tipperary camogie manager Denis Kelly also teaches at the school and the Toomevara native coaches many teams over the years.

The collaboration with St Joseph’s is a natural bond in Templemore and the buzz has been all about this ‘Haka’ for months now.  The Templemore Arms was packed to the rafters with the huge crowd loving the video and sensing that it was something special that would always be remembered. 

The President of the GAA was present, and Jarlath Burns was full of praise for all the dedication put into putting on a top performance.  The Armagh native felt that is was a great testament to the efforts that everybody had put in. 

Peter O Toole of the Hothouse Flowers is no stranger to playing in Semple stadium and his expertise was invaluable in this project. 

Another exciting side story is that it now looks likely that both lead characters, Coaimhe and Robert, will be playing for Tipperary at the halftime matches for this Munster championship so they will represent their team on the biggest of stages.  What a journey it has been for all in Templemore, watch out for the tune this summer.