We Sang Places!

So we just got done touring the Rock of Cashel which was the site of, first, the ruling clans of Munster (first the Mac Carthaigh's, then the O'Brian's), and then the Church. Again, this tour was an example of how far back the history of Irish integration and power struggle goes as the site was first inhabited in the 4th century and exchanged hands multiple times.

As I've mentioned, I'm with the MSSU Chamber Singers on a tour of Ireland. Well, we got to sing in spaces where choirs from the 12th century to c. 1750, when the Church left the site, have been singing. The first stop on our tour was in a building where the choir members, which were eight men from from the Church or the town, were housed and where they rehearsed.

We got to sing MLK there. Another transcendent experience like in Ailwee Cave earlier on the trip. Then we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Though it was in ruins, it was one of the most awe-inspiring spaces I have ever seen, and these pictures don't do it justice.

After this we went into Cormac's Chapel which is the only example of period Romanesque architecture in Ireland. This Chapel was constructed in celebration of the Mac Carthaigh clan regaining control of the Rock. The Chapel is actually covered in scaffolding in order to protect the sandstone roof which was allowing water damage on the inside of the Chapel. Despite the years of damage, there were still remnants of Roman frescoes where the altar stood. In this Chapel we got to sing one of my favorite pieces from our concert, Give Me Jesus. I could not help but smile the whole time we were singing. It might not have been a space designed with acoustics in mind, but it sounded beautiful. The space resonated like none other that I've been in, and it is something that I won't soon forget.

Well, now we're back on the bus en route to Dublin for the last stretch of our tour. I still can't believe how much has happened, how much joy we have brought, and how much I will miss it.