Three Rock Churches’ Music and Environment competition

St Kilian’s Deutsche School, Clonskeagh, scooped top prize in a recent

environmental competition in South Dublin – for the second year running!

Aine Fellenz, accompanied by Hugh Rees on guitar, wowed an audience gathered in Wesley College’s GB Shaw Auditorium, with her rendition of a song called ‘Soul’, which was composed by fellow St Kilian’s pupil, Jenny McDonnell.

The ‘Music andtheEnvironment’ competition organisers, Three Rock Churches’ Environment Group (TRCEG), had invited local secondary school pupils to write and perform songs on the theme of the environment. The essay-writing competition they organised last year on the theme ‘Our Planet, Our Home: What is its Future?’ was won by St Kilian’s pupil, David Kane.

The judges said Jenny’s lyrics “really hit home” with the theme of the event and commended Aine and Hugh for their “great tone and great melody”.

The song includes the following lines: “Before the world falls to pieces/ Take a quick look around/ You seem surprised by its beauty/ That you have only found/ Keep the heart of this world/ Gently in your hands/ Learn to not use or hurt it/ The soul of our fine land” © Jenny McDonnell.

Awarding Ballinteer Community School Music Group second prize, the judges praised the pupils for their “really enjoyable performance”, their use of different genres and a variety of instruments (including piano and mandolin) and their lyrics, which “combined the problem and the solution”.

Included were the lines: “Stop cutting down the King of Trees/ Stop smoking in your broken car/ Stop puffing on your big cigar/ Stop pillaging our fragile world … Start listening to Mother Nature/ Start leading by a better life/ Start believing in a better world/ Start the Green World Revolution.” © Ballinteer Community School Music Group

Third-placed Cian Gormley of St Benildus College was commended for his “lovely tone and voice” and for his bravery performing on his own.

The three judges were Patrice Keegan, resident organist in Holy Cross Parish, Dundrum, Sarah Mullen, piano teacher and leader of the praise group in Dundrum Methodist Church, and song-writer, producer and sound engineer Paddy Hunt.

Catherine Brennan SSL, chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI), congratulated all those who took part in the contest (informally dubbed a Green X Factor!) before presenting the ECI perpetual award to the St Kilian’s pupils.

“It is easy to think about music and the environment in this lovely spring weather; the glorious music of the birdsong greets us every waking moment,” she said.

“We human beings need to re-learn how to live in harmony with the whole earth community. Perhaps music, which helps us appreciate harmony, can also prompt us to spread harmony in a wider way.”

Three Rock Churches’ Environment Group, an initiative of ECI, consists of Methodist Church, Dundrum; Holy Cross, Dundrum; Church of the Ascension of the Lord, Balally; Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Churchtown; and the Church of Ireland parishes of Whitechurch, Kilternan and Taney.

As well as organising an annual competition for secondary school students, the group also holds ecumenical prayer services, screens environmental films and is involved in Stop Climate Chaos campaigns.