onebreastless

And more from the concert

2010-11-22T06:05:00.000-08:00

And here is the video that is becoming very popular in Cork. It is our very own Bernie Harrington with the song she wrote for PAt and Emma. It comes from the heart, and is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy!

The concert videos

2010-11-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

ok, the fun is over. We've raised over 2000€ and the concert was a succes. Here are a few video's to give those of you who couldn't come an idea of what they missed.
here is Laura -May Keohane

and here is Laoise O'Hanlon

This our barbershop song.

More next week

my charity

2010-10-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

yesterday was a great day for us, because we got an article in the Cork Independent, a great free newspaper.
We had another practice in Kay's house, as always with loads of chocolate- and other cake, coffee and tea. Oh oh, I think we may have to go an a very strict diet after the concert.

For those people who can't make it to our concert but would still like to support us, here is a link to my charity.ie, where you can donate any amount to our cause. The money goes directly to the charity, it is a safe way to sponsor.
http://www.mycharity.ie/event/it_must_be_the_music.

I'll soon follow up with some bits and pieces of the programme.

Think Before you Pink!

2010-09-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Four weeks away from the concert, and we are doing fine. We've got our MC of the night, Ciarán Bermingham, which many of you may know because of his comedic acting career. More about him in another post.
The accompanist is Deirdre Long, another talented product of the school of music in Cork.
The tickets will be printed in two days,so beware, because I won't let go of you until I've sold them all.
The posters will be up soon, one version is a Milo-designed one, the other is mine, less cool, but it does the trick.
I have created an event on Facebook, and I hope that will be shared and spread among the Facebookers.

The money raised will go to Action Breast Cancer. I fully support what they do, but I have a few tips for you. Don't buy just anything that's pink with a ribbon on it. First of all check how much of your money will actually realy go to Action Breast Cancer.
Then check if the company that'supports' Action Breast Cancer, doesn't actually produce products that may cause breast cancer.
An example of this was the pink Kentucky Fried Chicken boxes ( in the USA). No need to explain why deep fried chicken nuggets with chips are not exactly the best foods to prevent breast cancer.
A good resource for this is the Breast Cancer Action Website. It is an American website created by breast cancer survivors who investigate and take action.
At the moment BCA is campaining against 'we support breast cancer'-pink bottles for alcoholic drinks...again, I don't think this needs explaining.

I would really love to see a site like this started in Europe. If anyone is interested in starting one up, I would be very eager to talk about it.
The best way to support Action Breast Cancer is to go to events like this concert, where all the money goes straight to the charity, or by buying pink ribbons from volunteers, or donating , which you can do on this website of the Irish Cancer Society.
As they say in Breast Cancer Action: Think Before you Pink!

I will be selling pink ribons on the 8th of October in South Main Street in Bandon

Jamie Harper Kingston and me, Roos Demol

2010-09-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

Jamie

A whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm blows through the door, every time Jamie walks in. Jamie is our energetic American woman. Born and raised in Connecticut, USA, Jamie started singing in school with choirs and a dance band. She participated in many musicals.
Jamie became a classroom teacher, and moved to Ireland in 1992 and has lived near Kinsale ever since.
A mother of two, she works with individuals of average to high intelligence with learning blocks such as dyslexia.

Once in Ireland Jamie soon started performing again in various stage productions and joined the Kinsale Opera, and later on the Chorus of Opera Cork, where she was the soprano standing next to me , the alto.
We both, regrettably, had to leave the choir because of other engagements. When I asked jamie if she'd be interested in taking part in the concert, she immediately agreed. It is with great pleasure that we'll be standing next to each other again to sing the soprano/alto lines.

Roos Demol

Married to Haydn Shaughnessy, and a mother of 4, I am number six in a row of ten children in a Flemish family. We were all good singers, and we used to sing a lot. One year we went on holiday to Tirol,Austria, and I remember us all standing in the garden of the holiday home, and singing to the mountains. The neighbours would come on their balcony to listen to us. I felt like a little Von Trap girl then.
We sang at home, at family parties and also in the church choir.

Music became part of the back ground as I grew older and work took over.
It wasn't until I moved to Ireland that I rediscovered that I could actually sing. It happened in a pub in Ballinadee, where, during one of their sing-songs I was put on a table by force and told to sing, I belted out an old Flemish song, the first one I could think of, and felt that I actually enjoyed it.
I soon joined the chorus of opera Cork, which was one of the best things I've ever done in my life. I made a lot of long lasting friends there, some of whom are singing at the concert as well. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, the friendship and support I got from the choir members was heart warming. The women who were there to stand by me will be my friends forever.
I now get tuition from the fabulous Laoise O'Hanlon.
Music made me love Ireland, and I am happy to be able to support Action Breast Cancer together with my friends, through music.

Kay Deering

2010-09-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

When I joined the chorus of Opera Cork, in 2002, I soon got to know what I call 'the ladies of the choir'. They are incredibly kind, gentle Cork ladies who have been singing all their lives and who have been with the choir since the start. Their voices are beautiful, and I don't think my own repertoire of songs will ever reach the size of theirs.

One of these ladies is doting mother and grandmother Kay Deering. She is originally from Cavan, but lived in Dublin, until she moved to Cork with her young family , some 35 years ago. At first she was very reluctant to move to Cork, but soon came to love the city, and has now happily retired in Bishopstown.
Kay has learned music with the school of music and after arriving here soon joined the IORC, and the Cork Operatic Society and now still sings with the Chorus of Opera Cork.
The best way to know a good singer is by listening to their party pieces. The first time I heard her sing 'The Rose' I was gobsmacked by her beautiful soprano voice.
She was the first singer I thought about when planning the concert, and I am very thrilled that she has agreed to sing for us on the night.
Kay is also singing the barbershop song and she has opened up her house to us to rehearse, awaiting us every time again with coffee, tea and cakes.

Toenails , ankles and worried children

2010-09-08T13:21:00.001-07:00

Today I got another reminder of the chemotherapy I went through. My toenails are completely blue since I went for a mountain hike on holidayin France.
I walked up a 1700 metre mountain, which made me extremely proud, exhausted and in pain. My toes were killing me.
After I got back down , which took me about an hour longer than the rest of the family, I threw off my shoes, and then I saw it. Blood was seeping from under my toenails, my feet had swollen up and the pressure on the nails, which had never grown back properly after the chemo made them bleed.
Since them every closed shoe I wear hurts.
Today I went to a chiropodist. She took care of my nails but told me this will go on forever, I have a toenail impairment. Oh well, it could be worse, I guess.

Today I took Milo and Angharad, who are both ill, to the doctor. I also showed her my ankles. The chiropodist thinks I have lymphoedema, which mysteriously went from my arm to my feet.I could imagine that, given that in this country there is no such thing as decent after care, which means I never got the manual lymphatic drainage I so badly needed.
But the doctor didn't agree. She is wondering about a kidney disease, heart failure could be another reason, but I wouldn't have climbed 1700m with heart failure.
So I have to be tested for kidney troubles.
Milo, who is 12 now, was with me and heard it all. He is now worried sick and constantly checking me out. The cancer story has never abandoned him. He still gets worried, even if I cough. All I can do is try and put his mind at ease, and tell doctors to watch what they say when my kids are around.
I'm sure it will all end up being nothing more than bad circulation or something.
But in the mean time, Milo has another reason to lose sleep at night.

Bernie

2010-08-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

This concert has brought together a wide variety of women. Each with their own stories. Bernie is a woman with an amazing strength, we are all very proud to have her amongst us, and we love her songs.

Bernie has a lovely, warm voice. She has never really experienced singing in front of people until her little baby Emma was born 10 weeks prematurely . Not knowing any nursery rhymes, Bernie made up her own. She would sing to little Emma so that she
would know her mum was there, close by, bursting with love and in awe of this beautiful being.

As time went on, Emma was diagnosed with a serious heart problem and had to stay in the hospital.
Bernie kept singing for her baby.
The nurses commented on Bernie's voice and at times the other babies in the
cardiac ICU would stop crying as well and fall asleep as she sang to her
little one.

After eight months Emma lost her fight,it was heartbreaking to let her go.

Not even a year later, Bernie's husband died of stomach cancer.

Music has helped in the healing of Bernie's loss. She sings when happy and
sad.
Bernie joined a choir and attended the lovely Laoise for singing lessons.
She has written a few moving songs about her life, and will perform one of them at the October 29th Action Breast Cancer gig.

The Players

2010-08-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

We're working away at our rehearsals and we're making good progress.
I 'll start introducing some of the singers to you now.
I had started taking pictures during practices, but some of the girls are not too sure about publishing them, in case they don't look good enough. Women never change...
I managed to get hold of two pictures anyway,so here is an introduction to the players of the night, to wet your appetite. I'll be posting more of them in the coming days.

Laoise O' Hanlon
We are delighted to have Laoise O' Hanlon, Cork born soprano, as our main act.
Laoise has recently completed an MA in jazz vocal performance to a first class honours standard at the Cork School of Music. She attained a BMus degree and a host of performance experience while living and performing in London.
Familiar with theatre and concert hall stages on the local music venue circuit, Laoise has performed in 'Guys and Dolls', 'Fame', 'The Sound of Music', 'The Boyfriend', 'La Traviata' , 'Carmen', and 'La Boheme'. She runs an improvisation group and currently fronts her busy jazz band 'The Laoise O'Hanlon Quintet' .They look forward to a new programme and an action packed schedule at this years Cork jazz weekend.
Laoise is in demand as a vocal coach, and some of us are lucky enough to work with her.

Sinead Tracey

The first time Sinead caught the bug for the stage and singing was when she joined the IORC and sang in the chorus of Oklahoma and The Mikado before heading to college in London. Once qualified as a physiotherapist, she worked in London for 6 years and joined the local operatic society. Sinead was also member of the London Concert Choir, she performed yearly in the Albert Hall Christmas concerts.
The highlight for Sinead was playing Hoedel in Fiddler on the Roof and Isabella in Pickwick, the musical at the Minack theatre in Cornwall.
Since returning to Cork in 2003 she has continued her love for music with the Chorus of Opera Cork. Sinead now enjoys singing under the expertise of the great Mary Hegarty.

Life after breast cancer

2010-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

It is now 5 years since I was diagnosed. In the statistics I am now one of the survivors. But what is life like after cancer? Is it ever the same as before?
The answer is 'not really!'

First of all there is the physical me. I went through three operations, a lumpectomy, then a wide local excision, then a mastectomy with reconstruction. And that takes its toll. There isn't a day when I don't feel pain in my left arm or shoulder. Although not fierce, it is always there, and keeps reminding me of what I've been through.There are other small things that are a result of the very punishing chemotherapy as well, like toenails not growing back properly, or stomach upsets I never used to have. I still have a minor heart problem too, for which I will have to take medication for the rest of my life.
Apart from that, I am OK.

Then there is the psychological me. Saying things like 'I am OK' is something I find troublesome. There is always that little voice inside me saying 'but am I?'. Because
one thing I learned is that you never know...
My sister An, who is also a survivor, told me that when she heard of my diagnosis, the first thing she said to her husband was, 'now she'll never feel that total happiness again, that feeling that nothing can go wrong and everything is fine. ' And she was right.
There are those days that I don't think of breast cancer, but they are few.
The trickiest times are when I have to go back to the hospital for tests. A few months ago the doctors had noticed something different in my latest mammogram. I had to go back for additional tests. The fear me and Haydn, my husband, felt that day was just the same as when I was diagnosed. I was sure it was all happening again.
Luckily it didn't. But that feeling of insecurity won't ever leave us.

And that's why becoming active and fundraising for the fight against breast cancer is so important to me. I want to take part in the fight against that bloody disease. No one deserves this and the more I can do to help fight cancer the better!

The Concert

2010-06-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am back. A few years after my last Onebreastless post. I never stopped blogging, but I wanted to speak my own language for a while and am now also blogging in Flemish on life in Ireland with all it's pleasures and frustrations.

That was the good news.

The very good news is that I am still alive and kicking, and I am writing this blog to share the next few months with you.

One of the pleasures of living in this country is the love of music and the many talented musicians that live here. I have been thinking for a while about a good fundraiser for Action Breast Cancer, and a combination of watching Susan Boyle, the Irish sing-song and my vocal coach, the amazing Laoise O'Hanlon, have given me the idea to get a bunch of women together and organise an evening of musical entertainment. And it is working.
We are now a group of 10 women, with ages raging from 17 to 70, each one a good singer. We are all going to sing a couple of solo's and a few ensembles on the evening.
Laoise will be the only professional there on the night.
The concert, which still has no name (ideas welcome) will be held on October 29th in the Brogan Inn in Bandon.
At the moment we are practising a barbershop song. It is quite challenging, but we're having a lot of fun with it.
The best part of these preparations is the interactions between all of us and the fun we're having preparing the evening. I compare it in some way to Calendar Girls . The tensions, the pleasures, the warmth and the friendship are all there.
I am going to keep you posted on our progress on this blog. With video clips and pictures. And I hope you will enjoy it so much that you'll come and watch us on October the 29th and help us make loads of money for Action Breast Cancer.