THE Irish Pensioners Choir brought a lot of music and laughs to Mannion's Prince Arthur pub in Tottenham as they gathered for their monthly sing-song.
More than 30 members of the choir met on the afternoon of July 6, while around 50 pensioners turned out to enjoy the company and the craic.
Supported by the Irish Elderly Advice Network, the choir has become much more than a singing group since it was founded more than two decades ago by Sally Mulready and her late friend Alice Kennedy.
Musical director Billy Faughnan, originally from County Leitrim, has been with the choir almost since the beginning.
"I was kind of inveigled to do one gig to help them out, and here I am 20 years later doing the same thing,” he laughed.
Before joining the choir, Faughnan spent more than a decade with the Larry Cunningham Band performing as a pianist and piano accordion player.
He said the choir began as just a group of older singers but quickly evolved into something much bigger.
"It's an occasion for older people to get together and to get out of the house,” he said.
More than 50 pensioners and their families turned up to see the choir perform (Photo by Mark Murphy)The choir has grown from nine people to more than 30 today, with singers from almost every single county in Ireland.
"We have some people who are very good singers, and we have some people who are not great singers, but that's the way it works," Faughnan said.
"It's not all about the singing, it's the social involvement as well."
Irish songs remain at the heart of every performance, with different programmes for each occasion, but keeping the classics that all the pensioners can sing along to.
Over the years, the choir has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in Britain and Ireland.
The event that sticks out to most of the pensioners was singing at the Royal Albert Hall during the Irish president's visit in 2014.
More recently the choir performed at Dublin's RDS as part of RTÉ's centenary celebrations.
"It was a fantastic concert, there was over 2,000 people, and we were the only act that night to get a standing ovation," Faughnan said.
"I think it was because we were a pensioner's choir, but they did us proud that night in Dublin."
Marian Ryan, Shea Duggan, Bartley Duggan and Anne Garvey all volunteer with the charity (Photo by Mark Murphy)Despite those landmark performances, Faughnan said the choir is just as committed to appearing in church halls, care homes and pubs across London.
He praised Mannion's owner Michael Finneran for his long-standing support of the choir and the wider Irish community.
"We're very lucky that in London we have a lot of Irish people that want to help," he said.
"For a lot of these people, this is their only weekly or monthly outing."
Long-time choir member Patrick "Patsy" Davis, from County Clare, said the focus on traditional Irish music was a big reason he joined.
"They were singing more of the old Irish songs," he said.
"I'm trying to revive the old ones before I die."
His favourites include: An Old-Fashioned Lady, Spancil Hill, The Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill, Bonnie Mary of Argyle and The Whistling Gypsy.
These were songs he remembered hearing growing up in Ireland, especially from his mother around the house.
Patrick Davis from Co. Clare and Josie Petru from Dublin (Photo by Mark Murphy)Davis said the choir is the main lifeline for many older members.
"A lot of the Irish people didn't get time to do things that they can do now," he said.
"They were all gone to work at six o'clock in the morning, sometimes they weren't home till eight o'clock at night."
Now retired, many have more time on their hands, while others have lost partners or close family members.
"They need somewhere to go, and they can come down, and it doesn't matter whether they can sing or not, they can join the choir," he said.
"As long as they are out of the house and enjoying themselves, that is what it's really about."
The choir is already looking forward to the end of the year when they take to the stage at the Old Vic Theatre over Christmas, continuing to bring Irish music to people on both sides of the Irish Sea.
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