Dear Editor,
I share a sentiment with Alison Healy, expressed on May 20th in her Irishwoman’s Diary, over the unfortunate lacking of a melodic voice. This sentiment finds its roots in the lessons of Mrs. Murphy. In our two-room national school, she shaped our manners using a tuning fork as her enforcement tool.
One fateful day, instead of our routine of chorally performing ‘le chéile’, she decided to conduct individual auditions for a future occasion. It was my turn to recite the first verse of Báidín Fheilimí, yet my execution was far from flawless. I still remember the pity reflected in my peers’ eyes that day. It stung enough that I decided, at eight years old, never to invite such pity again and so, I renounced singing.
Yours faithfully,
Anne Marie Kennedy,
Craughwell,
County Galway.