All God’s creatures have a place in the choir: but in Ramelton they believe that Thomas Harte should have a place in the national record books.
He’s been a member of St. Mary’s Church Choir for over eighty years and his rich baritone voice is still a feature of Mass on Sunday mornings at the local St. Mary’s Church.
This Sunday night the community is preparing to celebrate the Harte legend in music in his native town and he will be joined by the 21 other members of the choir.
by John McAteer, editor of the Tirconail Tribune
And he will also be joined his many friends from the world of music and the town’s legendary pantomime tradition where he contributed for a generation.
Thomas who resides at Chestnut Grove first joined the church choir in 1937 and has been there ever since. And his rich baritone voice sounds as strong today as it did when he first became involved.
His remarkable legend sits lightly on his shoulders and along the way Thomas has sung under seven different organists.
Ramelton believes that the record of eighty years singing in the same choir deserves national recognition but Thomas is quite happy to remember times past and the great singers who were part of St. Mary’s Choir.
And on this Sunday night as the community will come together to celebrate this amazing milestone the venue is O’Donnell’s Bar and the music gets going around nine o’clock.
Nobody can be quite certain if there is a record for Ireland’s longest serving chorister, but in Ramelton they believe the achievement of Thomas Harte has pride of place.
Now approaching his 86th birthday at his home across the road from St. Mary’s Church, Thomas is hale and hearty: in good spirits and singing as sweet as ever. That’s according to the local choir members who join him each Sunday for 11.00am Mass.
Thomas originally worked for the Lough Swilly Railway Company before joining the local firm of RJ. Campbell and he well remembers the Nobel Laureate coming back to the family home on the Mall on a regular basis.
Thomas worked for the Campbell’s in the shop and at Ardeen House for over sixty years and he enjoyed every moment of that partnership.
He now lives in peacefull bliss at Chestnut Grove and his memory remains razor sharp as he lists of the great names from his earlier times in the choir.
Molly Young was the organist and he learned so much of his skills in music from her. There were other organists to follow including. Johnny Boyce: Monsignor Anthony McDaid: Jean Winston (Nee McDaid): Peg McFadden and Mark Bradley.
And among his many singing colleagues in the choir were Mary Diver, Alice Duffy, Hugh Doherty Eamon McDaid, Tudy McDaid, John and Willie Patton, Jim Jordan, Keith McFadden, Nellie Boyle, Josie McBride, Anna and Kathleen Buchanan, Lena Patton, John and Margaret McElwaine, Eugene McCarron, May and Christina McBrearty and Mrs. Andy Sweeney.
Following a choir practice on winter’s evening in 1955, Thomas and a number of others were approached to join the new panto being planned for the Town Hall as a fundraising event for Swilly Rovers. Eamon McDaid and local teacher at Killycreen national school, Frank Mooney were putting on a show that was new, different and it was a pantomime…the likes of which Ramelton had never heard of previously.
And so in January 1956 Thomas Harte and many others were part of the town’s first panto and it the start of a legend that continue to this very day. He’s proud of the panto and recalls with the most vivid detail the show, ‘Robin Hood’. And with scarce resources it was a case of beg, borrow or invent.
Wigs for the men were created from flax scutchings and the breeches were gathered in from the town’s wardrobes of Long Johns with a few left to brave the winter elements until the show ended. It was an amazing success and Thomas was in the chorus for more than ten years. After which he took on the prominent role of chief ticket seller for the twelve night run of the panto.
All the while St. Mary’s Choir was his great love and he preferred the old hymns, ‘Sweet Heart of Jesus” “Hail Queen of Heaven” and ‘Hail Glorious St. Patrick”.
And on this Sunday night the town will gather in O’Donnell’s Bar to celebrate the enduring legend that is Thomas Harte and perhaps to lift a glass (or two) in thanking him for his amazing contribution to his native town. And no doubt there will be music and memories as Thomas regales the audiences with his own favourites.
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