Delightful choral soireé promised in Laois Offaly town
Portarlington Community Choir joined by guest performers on the night
The historic St Paul's Church on French Church Street in Portarlington promises to be the place to be for choral fans in Laois and Offaly this week when the town’s community choir is joined by some special guests for their debut show.
The concert has its roots in a six-week pilot project in May 2025 to see if there was an appetite for a community choir.
"We got a great response,” says member Margaret Guijt Lawlor.
As a result, the members officially started in September 2025 under the conducting baton of Paula Hennessy and pianist Antoinette Dickenson Kaur. Unfortunately, Paula finished up last Christmas as she wasn't able to continue due to other commitments.
Margaret says this put the novice group at a crossroads.
“At this point, we were not sure how we would manage or even if we could continue, but after reaching out through the musical network among us, we hit the jackpot with Anthony Norton,” she says.
Margaret continues: “Anthony is a very accomplished conductor and performer, living in Portlaoise, and while he's a very busy man in the industry, he was delighted to take us on to see if he could get a decent sound out of us.
"I speak for us all when I say he surprises even us every practice when we hear how good he makes us sound. He is so confident in us that he feels we are ready to perform in front of our community," he said. MORE BELOW PHOTO.
So the journey has led to their first concert on Friday, June 19, in St Paul's Church, when they have two guest performers - Danna Davis and Caoimhe Fitzpatrick, accompanied by pianist Niall Barrett.
Often associated with stage performances in Ireland, Danna Davis is an Irish American singer, actress, and voice artist who has lived in Ireland for over 30 years.
She trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has also studied acting at HB Studios and Michael Howard Studio in New York. Danna has performed in many musicals in America and has appeared in the prestigious Lincoln Centre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Danna completed two sold-out US tours with the Three Irish Tenors as a member of The Irish Divas.
In Ireland, Danna has performed in the National Concert Hall Christmas shows, in Oliver! The Wizard of Oz playing the Wicked Witch and Sister Act playing Mother Superior. In Grease (Gaiety Theatre), Aspects of Love and JFK: A Musical Drama (Olympia Theatre), The Taffeta’s (Gaiety Theatre), Beyond Therapy and Creatures (Andrew’s Lane Theatre).
She has also been a featured soloist for Kevin Hough’s Theatre Nights Concerts, recorded and broadcast on RTE Radio 1. She is also involved in creating voices for cartoon animation. Her credits include Norman Normal (TG4), Zombie Hotel (BBC), The Ugly Duckling (Magma Films) and Ugly and Me (RTE), among many others.
Caoimhe Fitzpatrick,19, is an award-winning soprano from Laois. She is a first-year music student at Maynooth University. She has won multiple awards at Feis Ceoil, including the Patricia Black Cup in 2018 and several medals. Caoimhe received a distinction in the Grade 8 Singing Exam with ABRSM. She was a member of several choirs growing up, including The Irish Youth Choir (14-17), The National Children's Choir and is currently a member of the Maynooth University Chamber Choir. She has a keen interest in opera and musical theatre. MORE BELOW PHOTO.
Caoimhe won the Patricia Black Cup in Feis Ceoil in 2018. She has also auditioned for The Late Late Toy Show on RTE. Caoimhe has played lead roles in school plays and has a real passion for singing and acting.
Niall Barrett is a highly accomplished Irish organist and choral musician based in Dublin. He regularly performs for high-profile services and concerts and is well-known for providing wedding organ and piano music.
Last but not least, Anthony Norton is an acclaimed vocal coach, conductor, and music educator celebrated for his transformative approach to integrating vocal technique, mindfulness, and performance practice.
His career includes performances and collaborations on some of the world’s most iconic stages—The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Scala, Milan, Carnegie Hall, and Broadway.
He is currently the vocal coach for the National Symphony Chorus of Ireland and is a faculty member of the Musical Theatre degree programme at the American College Dublin.
The concert starts at 7.30 pm on June 19. Tickets are €15 and are available from Cooper's Florist, Main Street, Portarlington.