St Malachy’s Friends produce spirit-lifting music video

13 May 2020

THE well-known theme song from the hit US comedy series, Friends, has been used by St Malachy’s High School in Castlewellan to cheer up the spirits of staff and pupils during the lockdown closure.

The Facebook video has been viewed over 30,000 times and has also been hailed by past pupils for helping them reconnect with their old school during uncertain times.

Using special coronavirus themed lyrics to the hit track, I’ll Be There For You, teachers and students appear in the tongue-in-cheek video showing what they are all getting up to at home.

The short film is introduced by school principal, Mrs Orla O’Neill, who tells students “we miss you every day”, but that they are “doing the right thing” by staying at home. She also thanked the parents and all frontline key workers for their contribution in keeping them all safe.

Mrs O’Neill told the Recorder that every department of the school had contributed to the making of the video which starred teachers as well as pupils.

“It’s amazing what was achieved in such a short space of time and the response we have received has made it worthwhile,” she said.

“It really was the brainchild of our head of music, Mrs Cora Magee, music teacher Ms Caoimhe McErlane and drama teacher Mrs Claire Murnin with senior teacher Mr Mark Vernon, pulling it all together with his IT editing skills.

“It features teachers at home, students sing, dancing and playing music or performing in a little cameo. It really was a team effort from the whole school and it was so much fun to do.”

Mrs Magee and Ms McErlane wrote the lyrics, which included the new chorus lyrics, ‘Covid-19 has us all in quarantine, Covid-19 won’t break the spirit of St Malachy’s, Covid-19 we will see you all soon’ while Mrs Murnin remotely choregraphed all the staff and pupil performances.

While many students were involved, two of the school’s choir members, Year 9 student Aimee O’Higgins and Year 10 student Anna-Rose McCabe were the lead singers, while Year 11 students Charlie O’Hanlon and Eamonn Higgins played the guitar and cajon respectively.

All four students recorded their pieces individually and then sent them to Ms McErlane who mixed them all together.

Mrs O’Neill explained that the creation of the video was in response to the school wishing to mark its 60th anniversary year.

“While we had our big celebration last October, we had so many other things planned that unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the shutdown. This was our way of celebrating the best of St Malachy’s,” she added.

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