Marching to our own rythmn 

At the invitation of a group of people with Clonmel

connections called “The Friends of Clonmel”, we

visited Peoria in 2009 and 2015. Needless to say,

we received a very warm welcome and no stone

was left unturned to make our visits memorable.

We had a very large group with our musicians,

colour guard, committee members and some

members of Clonmel Twinning Committee.

Host families accommodated our boys and

girls while the adults stayed at a local hotel.

Stopping off at Chicago where we spent two

nights, our hosts sent three coaches to collect

us and we travelled the hundred and fifty miles south to Peoria.

Our visits were centred on the annual “Fourth of July” celebrations, American Independence Day, and on both visits we performed at an open-air concert on the eve of the holiday at Glen Oak Park, sharing the stage with the Peoria Municipal Band. This is an annual event where families come to picnic and hear the music. Up to 20,000 people attended these concerts which were followed by a spectacular fireworks display.  On both of our visits we also headed the Fourth of July parade in West Peoria at the invitation of Mayor James Dillon where we received a warm welcome.

On our first visit in 2009 it rained heavily for the parade but in true “Showbiz” tradition, the show went on. Thankfully we were greeted with warm sunshine for our next visit. Other performances took place at the Riverplex Sports Centre where we also had access to the swimming pool etc. prior to the concert and were treated to a fabulous buffet.  The host families were invited to our concert at the Notre Dame High School where we shared the stage with their school band which was a huge success.

Months of rehearsal went into the preparation for these visits and our musical director, Peter Taylor prepared a very suitable programme for the concerts. The field shows featuring our special marching group “The Clonmel Bluehawks” who were directed by Keith Green in 2009. Alan McCormack directed the 2015 show which was performed at the Dozer Stadium, home of the Peoria Chiefs Baseball Team which was a spectacular venue.

The Colour Guard was a huge hit, with special choreography by Majella Hewitt Forte. There was a great Irish flavour to the dance routines, which went down very well with our American friends. On the first trip we featured a traditional Irish music group performing at our concerts with musicians from the band but in 2015 we were accompanied by a local trad. group, “The Auld Triangle” featuring three Murphy sisters who were also a huge hit.

Both these trips were memorable and were made possible by the generosity of the “Friends of Clonmel” group, too many to mention individually. Special thanks to Leo and Jo Jordan who headed the group. Sadly, Leo has passed away since our last visit but we remember him fondly.