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Ernest de Regge was a major influence in the development of church music in Ennis and the diocese of Killaloe. He was an accomplished musician, organist and composer, and much of his music was performed by the Ennis Cathedral choir and broadcast on RTÉ. He was also instrumental in setting up the annual Church Music Festival, which was held in Ennis in the 1930s. Under the auspices of An tOireachtas, he arranged Irish melodies for school choirs and received many national and international awards for his work.

Ernest de Regge was born on 15 January 1901 in Overmere, Flanders, Belgium, where his father was an elementary school teacher and organist. Ernest’s musical talent was recognised at a young age and while still in elementary school he and his brother were given the opportunity of private classes under Jules De Groot, organist at the cathedral in Ghent. His secondary school in Sint Niklaas prepared him not only for teaching but also for the position of church organist. He then enrolled in the prestigious conservatory, the Lemmens Institute in Malines (currently incorporated into the University of Louvain), where he studied composition, organ and Gregorian music. In 1922, he received the degree of Licentiate in Music claiming first place in composition, while his classmate, the world famous Flor Peeters, took the prize for organ.

From 1900, the Lemmens Music Conservatory in Malines had sent its organists and musicians to Ireland. Ireland had musical people and good, well-maintained organs but lacked trained organists and musicians who could play them to the highest standard. There had been much sympathy in Ireland for Belgians suffering during the First World War, while the struggle for Irish independence had created much interest and sympathy on the continent. In 1923, Bishop Fogarty appointed Ernest de Regge music professor at St. Flannan’s College and organist-choirmaster in the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. The bishop’s aim was to implement the instruction of Pope Pius X to simplify choir music. In St. Flannan’s (a junior seminary), de Regge would be instructing future clergy of the diocese of Killaloe in musical literacy and giving them a firm grounding in Gregorian Chant.

In the 1920s and 1930s, de Regge returned frequently to Belgium to continue his studies under the distinguished teacher of harmony and orchestration, Paul Gilson of Liege (recipient of the prestigious Prix de Rome award). They were collaborating in 1942 on de Regge’s Piano Concerto when Paul Gilson died; it would appear that the work was never published. He also continued his studies in composition with Lodewijk Mortelmans, director of the Antwerp Music Conservatory.

The Ennis Cathedral choir had been associated with liturgy in the cathedral for over one hundred years, beginning in 1859 with another Belgian, Charles Louis ‘Mons’ Nono. In the cathedral, de Regge created a showpiece choir, which was the envy of other dioceses. The choir, which often had over a hundred members, was a focal point for the young people of Ennis. The highlights of the church calendar were the midnight mass and high mass at Christmas, Easter and St Patrick’s Day. Talented local singers received extensive training and in particular the voices of Eva Meehan (alto), Amby Costello (soprano), John Murphy and Aiden Tuttle (tenor), Stephen Touhy and George Meehan (bass) and Liam Walker (alto) were highlights of this era. Broadcasts on Radio Éireann included Sacred Concerts in 1930, 1933, 1935, 1946 (Diamond Jubilee of Bishop Fogarty), and 1947 (Mass in honour of Blessed Oliver Plunket), in addition to concerts such as the An Tostal in 1953.

In the early 1930s, the new Irish Republic was very anxious to acquire and publish new Irish music through the state publishing company, An Gum. De Regge and Micheál Ó Siochfhradha (a primary school inspector based in Ennis, a skilled violinist and a John McCormack Medal-winning tenor) took up that task. These two, together with Father Joseph Rogers, Irish professor at St Flannan’s and Sister Mary Albeus of the Sisters of Mercy worked for several years adapting old Irish airs for school choirs. O’Siochfhradha and de Regge also published a textbook The Rudiments of Music (1953) in both Irish and English on the teaching of music as a subject for secondary schools.

De Regge composed almost two hundred works for choirs of mixed voices, songs based upon English and Irish texts, masses, motets, piano and organ pieces. His profile grew as he won national competitions. He received the Composers Competition Milligan Fox medals in 1939, 1942 and 1946; Dr Annie Patterson Medals in 1943 and 1953 for composition; and first prizes in An tOireachtas Ceol in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1956. It was, however, impossible to support his growing family as a music teacher and organist, and after entrepreneurial ventures into farming (chickens) and importing cars (Borgward and Lloyd), he opened a jewellery shop in O’Connell Street, Ennis and a music shop in Limerick. He combined his passion for collecting paintings and antiques with trips to the Dublin auction houses, where he bought pianos for refurbishing and resale.

The night before the fateful furniture auction at the historic Carmody’s Hotel in Ennis, de Regge quipped to his friend and choir manager Paddy Gill that he would buy de Valera’s bed for him (Paddy was not a Dev supporter). Next day, on 15 January, 1958, the floor of the auction room collapsed killing Ernest de Regge and seven others and injuring fourteen. The tragedy cast a shadow over the town for many months and years to come.

Ernest de Regge is remembered for his great musical talent, his continued and infectious good humour, his zeal and above all his kindness. He was a second father to his students and young choir members and always nurtured their talents; money was never a barrier to someone who had talent. He had special time for those who had to emigrate, perhaps remembering his own times in the twenties, and often took time to write to them to help them through those first lonely weeks, usually in England. Ernest de Regge had become an adopted son of Ennis, and as such had been taken to the town’s heart. He had left his mark on the musical and social life of so many in County Clare and farther afield.

Marguerite Donlon was born in 1966 in County Longford. Her early life was influenced by traditional Irish dance, and she did not begin her ballet studies until the age of 16. She received her training from Anica Dawson and Dorothy Stevens, and was a member of the English National Ballet under Peter Schaufuss. In 1990, she became a solo dancer and choreographer with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has worked with many celebrated artists, including Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. In 2001, Donlon became director of the ballet at the Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken, Germany. Her resident company, Donlon Dance Company, is renowned for the highly technical and artistic level of its dancers. They have presented not only Donlon’s choreographies but those of prominent artists such as Ji?í Kylián, Christian Spuck, Helena Waldmann and Rafael Bonachela. Donlon’s artistic and innovative style, which combines different art forms and humour, has been recognised through several awards and nominations. Donlon resigned her directorship in 2013 and was awarded a Medal of Merit for her outstanding work as ballet director and her contributions to the world of dance. Since 2014, Donlon has brought her creativity and coaching skills to the world of business as a business coach and leadership mentor.

Tiede Herrema was born on 21 April 1921 in Utrecht, Holland. He graduated in mechanical engineering in 1945 and gained a bachelor’s degree in industrial psychology in 1951. He continued his studies in psychology and sociology and gained a PhD in 1959, his dissertation dealing with the rehabilitation of disabled people. He married in 1948 Engelina Elizabeth Borren and the couple had four sons. Herrema’s distinguished career in industry spanned 37 years (1946-1983) and covered all aspects, including production management, general management and industrial relations. In 1973, Herrema was appointed managing director of Ferenka Ltd., and in September of that year he moved to Ireland with his wife Elizabeth and their two youngest sons to take up a position in the newly constructed cord manufacturing plant at Annacotty. Two years later, on the morning of 3 October, Herrema was abducted on his way to work by IRA leader Eddie Gallagher and his accomplices Marion Coyle, Brian McGowan and John Vincent Walsh. The objective of the abduction was to secure the release of three republican prisoners, including Dr Rose Dugdale, by whom Gallagher had a son. Herrema’s status as manager of a large multi-national corporation was hoped to bring international pressure on the government to yield to the demands.

For the next two and a half weeks, Herrema and his captors moved from location to location, and their whereabouts remained unknown until 21 October, when Herrema, Gallagher and Coyle were traced to a house in St Evin’s Park, Monasterevin, County Kildare. On the evening of 7 November, after prolonged negotiations directed by Chief Superintendent Laurence Wren, during which a minimum amount of food was allowed into the house, the kidnappers surrendered and Herrema was released after 36 days in captivity. He was later to attribute his survival to his strong physical fitness and his concerted efforts to befriend his captors to make it harder for them to kill him.

In the trials that followed the abduction, Marion Coyle was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment in Limerick Prison, while Eddie Gallagher received twenty years in Portlaoise Prison. For their courage and dignity, Herrema and his wife were honoured by Irish authorities with the honorary citizenship of Ireland and Freedom of Limerick in December 1975. In Holland, Herrema was voted Dutchman of the Year in 1975, and granted an officership of the Order of Orange Nassau by Queen Juliana in 1977.

Following a holiday in the Bahamas to recover from his ordeal, Herrema returned to his job in Ferenka, but in early 1976 was appointed Personnel Director of AKZO and returned to Holland. He later specialised in crisis management and worked in that capacity for Thomassen International, Lijnco Groningen, Silenka, and Radio Veronica. He also became a much sought-after speaker and adviser to the police and multinational companies in hostage preparedness and prevention. His humanitarian interests led to his appointment in 1984 as Director General of the Dutch Red Cross. In the meantime in Limerick, Ferenka Ltd., which throughout its existence had a poor record of industrial relations, was shut down in 1979, with losses of over 1,400 jobs.

Although Herrema and his wife returned to Holland, they never lost their love for Ireland and the Irish people and became regular and popular visitors to the country. Herrema campaigned for an early release of Marion Coyle and Eddie Gallagher, but the release was not granted and both prisoners served full term. Coyle was released in 1985, and Gallagher in 1990. Herrema felt no bitterness towards his captors and expressed a willingness to meet both following their release, but only if requested by Coyle and Gallagher. However, no such request was forthcoming and, in spite of attempts by journalists, the three never met again.

The kidnapping and the trials that followed caused an international media storm, which threw Herrema into the public arena and made him a celebrity for the rest of his life. He later joked that he could never forget his abduction because he was never allowed to forget it. Tiede Herrema died on 24 April 2020, a few days after his 99th birthday and just two days after the death of his wife.

Dance Resource Base is the premier non-profit organization, which supports the dance community in Northern Ireland. It provides facilities and resources and advocates the raising of the profile of dance in the North. Dance Resource Base was incorporated and registered as an independent company in 2006 following a process of consultation with the dance sector. It is a membership organization and is run by a board of governors who are elected annually by company members. It is an annually supported client of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

In September 1977, Karen Callaghan and Joan Davis co-founded the Dublin Contemporary Dance Studio in Harold’s Cross, Dublin to pioneer modern dance in Ireland. Two years later, they established the studio’s performing company, the Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre, which rapidly built up a varied repertoire of both original and guest choreographers’ work. Many of Ireland’s key choreographers and dancers began their professional careers with this company. In spite of its distinguished track record, the Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre was forced to fold in 1989, when the Arts Council cut its funding. Its spirit lives on in Dance Theatre of Ireland, founded by the company’s former co-Artistic Directors Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick.