School Choir Competition

I have been in Northern Ireland for one month and half. My university gave me a grant (Leonardo da Vinci) to work in Belfast to improve my skills and knowledge in Journalism and in Conflict Resolution, as they are what my degrees are in After a week here, Kevin Shine who is my coordinator, arranged an interview for me with Cooperation Ireland. He told me: “They do workshops and several activities between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to reinforce our bonds”. They were interested in me and I was in them, and then my adventure began.
 
Me and my terrible English, and Terry O’Neil (head of communications) and his brand new black car, crossed the border at least twice last week. Why? Our reason was the first ever All Island secondary school choir competition. Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Sligo were the destinations to the four regional heats, five schools battled it for a place in the Grand Final. My job was to sell programmes. Firstly it was difficult, but by the end I learnt these sentences by heart and everything was all right “Would you be interested in buying a programme?” “3 pounds or 3 euros and you get a free entry to the raffle” “Don’t worry, I’ve change”.
 
From my desk I could observe different skirts, ties, blouses and jackets; but the same feeling. They were excited but nervous as well. They really wanted to won the heat but they were just happy to be there. Looking at the cameras, spotlights and equipment being used by RTÉ, they often drew an “O” shape mouth. After rehearsals, they enjoyed their sandwiches and their free time. While the most naughty tried to spy the other choirs through the windows, the less shy tried to make new friends and eye-up the talent, I heard “how gorgeous is that blond soloist!” or “how beautiful is that green-eyed girl, there the girl in the first row”. Well, they are teenagers.
 
This competition is being good to Cooperation Ireland as they have started a new project that It seems to work, to RTE Television as they are gaining audience, to the Schools as they are showing their talent, to the adjudicators as they can see the new talent singers, to the venues as the competition has brought good publicity to them… but above all to our protagonists, young people who comes from Northern Ireland and from the Republic of Ireland and spend a special and a good time together.