Winners honoured at reception

Winners honoured at reception

7 September 2016

ACTORS, dancers and rowers were honoured at a special civic reception hosted by Newry, Mourne and Down Council on Thursday.

The achievements of members of St Patrick’s Choral Society, Downpatrick, and the Newcastle-based Glees were recognised, as were the world championship-winning exploits of the Dundrum Coastal Rowing Club.

The first to be congratulated by council chairwoman, Gillian Fitzpatrick, were Emma Nugent, Fergal White and St Patrick’s Choral Society, who all were recently named winners at the Association of Irish Musical Society Awards. 

Emma was named Best Actress for her performance as Violet Newstead in the Glees musical, ‘9 to 5’ while Fergal won Best Supporting Actor in ‘Sunset Boulevard’. He played the role of butler, Max von-Mayerling. 

Fergal is also a member of St Patrick’s Choral Society which won an Association of Irish Musical Societies Award for the best technical production of Sunset Boulevard. St Patrick’s Choral Society was founded in 1962 for the purpose of performing awards and musicals.

Also honoured at the event was Dundrum Coastal Rowing Club which was recently crowned Skiffies world champions. The club beat 50 other skiffs and 1,000 international participants from the Netherlands, Tasmania, USA, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to take the title of Skiffie world champions.

Newry, Mourne and Down District chairwoman Gillian Fitzpatrick expressed her pride and delight at the winners’ achievements.

“I am delighted to host you this evening to celebrate each of your outstanding achievements, in such a diverse range of accomplishments,” she said. The Council and our community are very proud of each and every one of you. 

“All of you have shown talent, dedication and commitment in becoming the winners. You have made many sacrifices to maximise your talents and grow in expertise and thoroughly deserve your success.”