Come sing with our Youth Choir

Music Generation Kilkenny is calling on young singers aged 8-12 years to join its newly established Kilkenny Youth Choir.

Starting on Tuesday, April 18, Kilkenny Youth Choir will initially run for six weeks as an after-school pilot programme from 3:45pm-4:45pm on Tuesdays at the Friary Hall, Kilkenny.

e introduction of a youth choir by Music Generation Kilkenny follows the huge success of its Sing Out initiative, when four local primary schools performed in a joint choral concert at Christmas in St Canice’s Cathedral.

Kilkenny Youth Choir is open to all aspiring young singers between eight and 12 years. is will expand to include ages 13to 18 as the choir grows and develops. No prior experience is necessary.

Speaking about the project, Music Generation Kilkenny Development o cer Sinéad Blanch eld said: “As a professional singer myself I feel passionate about nurturing the young singing talent in our county. Singing was a massive part of my own childhood growing up in Kilkenny. e idea is to give children the opportunity to develop their singing skills in a fun and engaging way, while growing in con dence and making new friendships.”.

Kilkenny Youth Choir will be directed by Barbara Kelly and Clare Kilkenny, who are both musician educators with Music Generation Kilkenny. Barbara and Clare were instrumental in the success of SING OUT, working with children in each participating school for six weeks leading up to the nal sold-out concert that featured 200 children who received a standing ovation for their heart-warming performance.

ey bring their diverse talents to Music Generation Kilkenny, teaching whole class singing on the primary school vocal programme and small group singing after school on ursdays at the Creative Music Space ( e Drum, MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre), in addition to workshops and concerts.

Registration is now open for Kilkenny Youth Choir via email: musicgenerationkilkenny@kcetb.ie, Facebook message: @musicgenerationkilkenny or phone: 087 1765493. e cost of the six-week pilot project is €30. Spaces are limited ture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide. Across Co Kilkenny, rst-time buyers made up 40% of the market during Q1 with 10% of purchasers moving out of the cities. e average time taken to complete a sale in the county is now ve weeks, down from an average of six in the previous quarter, the survey shows. e average cost of a simi- lar property in Kilkenny city remained unchanged at €310,000, while the time to sell of four weeks was also unchanged from the previous quarter.

“ e rst few months has seen very little change in the property market and is the same as previous quarters,” said Michael Boyd of REA Boyd’s, in Kilkenny.

In Callan, the average price for a three-bed semi is now

€220,000, up 2.33% from an average of €215,000 in the previous quarter, while the time to sell in the town remained unchanged at seven weeks over the same period.

“Supply is very low with few properties going to market at the moment,” said Robbie Grace of REA Grace, in Callan. Across the rest of Ireland, the actual selling price of a threebedroomed semi-detached rose by 0.6%.

Kilkenny forging links with China

e Mayor of Kilkenny has met with an Irish overseas Chinese leader to promote cultural exchanges.

Mayor Fitzgerald warmly welcomed the visit of Chinese leader (the European-China Culture and Art Exchange Association, and Chinese and Foreign International Family Association President, the China International News Magazine Ireland branch President and Chief Reporter, the International Integrity and Brand Magazine Ireland Representative) Chen QiumeiAnnie MacCarthy, and Jimmy MacCarthy.

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New chapter for ve local schools

Primary school students at ve Kilkenny schools are to receive books as part of Enterprise Holdings Foundation ROAD Forward Initiative

More than 3,500 students from 92 primary schools are to receive a copy of Frankie’s World by Aoife Dooley – a vibrant graphic novel from a neurodivergent perspective.

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Forces under re

e long-awaited into bullying and abuse in the Irish Defence Forces makes for disturbing reading in detailing a raft of structural failures in the organisation in its treatment of female members and in how it responds to allegations of bullying, harassment and abuse.

Full story Page 6 rough their community fund, six local community clubs, groups or programmes will be rewarded with €10,000 each, along with the chance to meet Olympic Champion Kellie Harrington and take her on in a fun series of challenges this summer. is campaign builds on SPAR’s established Community Fund initiative which was launched in December 2021. is announcement will see Ireland’s convenience retailer direct investment reaching €80,000 into deserving community projects across the country.

Spar is inviting all community clubs and groups across Kilkenny to apply for a chance to win €10,000 in funding and a meet and greet with brand ambassador and Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington as part of their new Spar 60th Community Fund.

For 60 years, Spar retailers have served the communities in which they are rooted, and the new initiative will see them invest €60,000 back into local communities to drive positive change and impact.

Local clubs who enter the Spar 60th Community Fund, not only have the chance of winning €10,000 but they will also be invited to a meet and greet session with Spar ambassador and Olympic Champion Kellie Harrington this summer, engaging in fun