December 2018 – RTAI CORK BLOG – Suíomh na Múinteoirí Scortha Chorcaí

Deckchairs by Jean McConnell

RTAI Cork Drama group at the Lee Valley Golf Club. Thanks to John Quaid for the photo.

This year’s presentation by the Cork RTAI Drama group was “Deckchairs” by Jean McConnell. The group performed three shows in all. Two were in the Lee Valley Golf Club followed by one night upstairs in the White Horse Inn.

The shows were sold out for the three nights and a great night’s entertainment was enjoyed by capacity audiences.Directed by Marian O’Callaghan, each of the four short plays was enacted by two characters and each story had an unexpected twist in the tail.

Kathleen sets the scene.

“Shoppers” starring Kathleen Lowney and Alice Barry opened the show. Set on a park bench in the city centre, it tells the tale of two shopaholics who have a surprising secret. Alice and Kathleen got the show off to an exciting start each night and delighted audiences with their exploits.

Early Blight was the second show and starred Judy McCarthy and Ber O’Sullivan. It told the story of a fraught mother/daughter relationship which was very vividly portrayed by the two actors.

Thanks to Seán Radley for the wonderful photos which capture the drama so effectively.

Last Post

Last Post starring Margaret Walsh and Kathleen Flynn features the widow of a recently deceased and well-respected gentleman who receives an unexpected letter. Mystery and intrigue are part of the unfolding story of the two ladies whose relationship is based on a very successful con artist’s scheming.

Doggies

Doggies with Gerardine Shine and Grace Donovan and their dogs is a hilarious tale of two different dog owners and two very different dogs. Robbie and San San and their owners ended the night on a note of laughter and action.

Sincere thanks to all who came to see the shows. Full houses make all the efforts worthwhile. Thanks also to everyone who helped out on the nights. Particular thanks to Pat Lehane who did the lighting in the Lee Valley and to Willie Barrett and Deirdre who built the stage. They were helped by Jack and Leo. The staff of the Lee Valley and the White Horse were extremely helpful and facilitated us with the production in every way possible and we are very grateful to them. We appreciate your support and hope to see you again next year.

Christmas cake decoration, with Mary Cahill.

What a treat! An hour and more spent watching the talented Mary demonstrating how to decorate our Christmas cakes using both royal icing and sugar paste icing. Mary’s artistry was evident, she made it look deceptively easy, chatting away and dispensing valuable advice while creating clever designs for us to try out at home. And… there were Christmas cupcakes for everyone in the audience to take home.Thanks Mary and Happy Christmas to all.

Anne Crowley.

Charity Coffee Morning 2018

Once again, the members of RTAI Chorcaí turned out in force to support local charities, at the Christmas Coffee morning that was held on Friday 30th November at the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel. This coffee morning is the largest of the year. Members are invited to donate a prize for the raffle, and/or make a cash donation to the charity. The charities chosen this year were Marymount Hospice and Cuan Mhuire.

We are very grateful to the hotel for sponsoring the coffee morning each year. The friendly and courteous staff were alert to our every need and epitomised “service with a smile!”

The “four elements” of any coffee morning are tea, coffee, pastries and chat. There was no shortage of any! Once the guests were settled in, the raffle tickets were sold, and the raffle got under way. Our MC was Cathaoirleach, Pádraig Ó Conaill, ably assisted by his “elves!” With so many prizes on offer, the raffle lasted at least an hour. There were many happy faces, but none so happy as Edel Ó Callanáin, whose ticket was first to be drawn out. She was the envy of all, as she chose the beautiful Christmas cake, made and decorated by Mary Cahill.

Our trusty photographer, Seán Radley was on hand with his Canon, to make sure that the event was well recorded. Thanks to Seán for the photos below. Thanks also to Joe Lane from the Camera Group, who arranged for some of their photos to be available to the members, in return for a donation to the charities.

We are delighted to announce that the total collected for the two charities was €2,200. This sum will now be shared equally between Marymount and Cuan Mhuire.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir!