General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade, Brig Gen Brian Cleary and Market Lead for Henry Ford & Son Ltd., Mr. John Manning, were in Collins Barracks Cork for the official launch of the Defence Forces Bands concert. This year’s concert will take place in the City Hall Cork on Friday 24 February at 8.00pm. The concert is staged to raise funds for the Defence Forces Benevolent Fund. This fund supports former members of the Defence Forces who may find themselves in financial or other difficulties.
Brig Gen Cleary said: “We are delighted to be able to stage the concert this year as it has not taken place since 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions. The concert is a truly popular event in Cork and well is very well supported by music-loving patrons in the city and the wider county”.
John Manning of Henry Ford & Son Ltd. commented: “Ford has been a long-time supporter of the annual Defence Forces Bands concert, indeed, our involvement goes right back to 1989. It is great to be associated with such an important event in the cultural life of Cork and I am looking forward to this year’s event all the more given the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
This year’s concert will feature personnel from the Bands of 1 Brigade, 2 Brigade and the Army No. 1 Band. As is traditional, the concert will also feature Defence Forces pipers and drummers, who are always very popular with the Cork audience. The guest artiste will be soprano Rachel Croash. Rachel has an extensive operatic repertoire and has performed in an impressive array of operatic role, both in Ireland and abroad. She has performed in Áras an Uachtaráin for President Higgins and has sung with the RTE Concert Orchestra and the City of Dublin Chamber Orchestra. She has previously sung with Defence Forces Bands at the National Day of Commemoration.
In addition to the concert on 24 February, on Tuesday 21 February, the Defence Forces Bands will stage a special concert for Primary School children. Over forty schools in the Cork area were contacted and a fantastic response was received. Over 900 school children will attend the concert on the morning of 21 February in the City Hall and this event always proves to be extremely popular.
Concert tickets go on sale on Saturday 11 Feb in Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre and will be on sale until Friday 24 February, with the exception of Sundays. A limited number of tickets may also be available on the night, depending on sales.