CONCERT: Saoirse O'Connor, Ois’n O'Connor, Liam O'Connor, Danny O'Reilly, Tony Fitzgibbon and Derek O'Connor backstage before the gig in St Brendan's College. Pic: Dylan Clifford.

By Sean Moriarty

Coronas lead singer Danny O’Reilly was blown away by the acoustics at St Brendan’s Chapel following his appearance at The Sem’s annual concert on Tuesday night.

O’Reilly was one of the guests of honour at the annual performance which is organised by local music legend Liam O’Connor and the school’s music teachers Mish O’Donoghue and Niamh O’Connell.
The concert featured performances from students including the school choir and the group that made it to the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in the UK earlier this year.

“Danny was outstanding, such a beautiful voice,” Mish said. “He was blown away by the venue and said it was a fabulous place. It was a fantastic experience for the boys, not many teenagers can say they performed on-stage with someone like Danny O’Reilly.”

The group that made it to Britain’s Got Talent opened the show with a four-song performance including their signature tune, ‘The Parting Glass’ which leads into ‘Step It Out Mary’.

After the interval, the school choir took the stage, a highlight being their performance of ‘Giant’, by artists Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man.

“All of the boys performed very well and it is impossible to pick out a standout moment,” added Mish, who has been organising the concerts for the last six years. “The boys who went to BGT showed exactly why they made it to England.”

As well as music performances, former students and local celebrities spoke, including former Irish and Munster rugby hero Tony Buckley, who talked about his battle with depression.

“Tony’s talk about how he coped with mental illness really resonated with many people who were there,” Mish said.