THE long-awaited St. Joseph's Presentation Girls' Secondary School Christmas Concert was finally performed on Sunday, January 24, at a packed St. John's Hall. Thanks to the perseverance and commitment of the students of St. Joseph's, the show was a great success with an array of talent on display. There was a great variety of musical instruments on show: harp, violins, concertinas, keyboards and flutes, not to mention some very talented singers, dancers and actresses.

Teacher, Monica Murphy fills us in on the details of the show – which had to wait for its first scheduled staging due to the truly seasonal, Christmas weather.

" The M. C. for the night was Dervala Murphy who presented the show with eloquence and panache and the audience was very impressed by the highly entertaining ' Jedward and Judges' and all participants who gave outstanding performances.

The school choir finished with Michael Jackson's ' Heal The World' which set the tone for the reason so many generous people turned out to support the victims of the Haitian Disaster.

Proceeds from the night totaled a staggering €2,220 and this was divided between Trocaire and the Lions Club International Foundation.

" L. C. I. F. works on large scale humanitarian projects that address community needs and responds to major catastrophes such as earthquakes and floods. It is working directly with Lions in Haiti as well as Lions in neighbouring countries to assess its immediate needs and develop a long-term reconstruction plan.

"The concert was originally scheduled for December 21 last year and was certainly worth the wait and well done to all who made it possible," said Ms. Murphy.

Both Monica Murphy and fellow teacher, Joanne Casey, would like to sincerely thank all who supported this very worthy cause. They particularly wish to thank the following: O'Sullivan Sound and Proinsias O'Sullivan and to all the businesses in Castleisland who gave spot prizes for the raffle.