Fr. John O'Brien
Encyclopedia
John O'Brien was a Roman Catholic priest
who worked in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1956 until his death in 2008. He is best remembered as one of Ireland's leading conductors, a prominent organist and founder of the retired St. James' Choir and the Glasnevin Musical Society.
, County Clare
on 30 May 1931.
He had a keen interest in music, which was nurtured at home. His mother played the violin, while the family housekeeper sang to the children every evening. At the age of seven, John was sent to Mrs. Atherton, a local piano teacher whose husband was organist of the parish church. A bright pupil, he was considered sufficiently accomplished to play a solo at the next St. Patrick's Day concert in Kilrush.
' school in Kilrush until entering the junior seminary
for the Diocese of Killaloe
in Ennis
when he was sixteen. He successfully completed his Leaving Certificate
and, not being the chosen for the seminary of Killaloe
, O'Brien was directed instead to the Archdiocese of Dublin, where he began his studies in Clonliffe
College in September, 1949. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
on 25 May 1956.
O'Brien's first appointment was as chaplain
to St. Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire
and afterwards, in 1957, he was made curate of Glasnevin
Parish. He combined this with the first official diocesan chaplaincy to the Bon Secours Hospital. 1962 brought a move to the rural setting of Ballitore in the parish of Narraghmore in County Kildare
. This would be O'Brien's base until 1966 when he was relocated in one of Dublin's oldest parishes - St. James's, dominated by the Guinness Brewery. In 1975, he was transferred to St. Andrew's, Westland Row - one of the archbishop's own parishes. He remained there until 1983, when he was promoted to parish priest of St. Canice's, Finglas
. He retired in 1996, enjoying the title of Pastor Emeritus while still residing in Finglas.http://www.dublindiocese.ie/ddd/perrec.php?pernumcode=100547&parnumcode=800084
's The New Moon
in Kilrush
. The scheduled conductor was taken ill, and John took the baton with some trepidation as the cast included the renowned English tenor Thomas Round
.
In Clonliffe
, O'Brien had briefly come under the guidance of Fathers Sean Quigley and Brendan Lawless. He had sufficient self-confidence to form a choir from the nursing staff in St. Michael's Hospital, and, once in situ in Glasnevin to augment the Church choir there. With the blessing of his parish priest, Michael Geraghty, the Glasnevin Musical Society was founded in 1958. http://www.glasnevinmusicalsociety.com/aboutus/history.htm
The Desert Song
, under the musical direction of O'Brien, opened at the newly built St. Francis Xavier Hall in Dublin. The success of The Desert Song led to Romberg's ' The Student Prince
, with Brychan Powell and Estelle Valery of London's Sadler's Wells
Opera Company in the leading roles, in 1959.
The Glasnevin Musical Society broke new ground in February 1960 when O'Brien was approached by the directors of Dublin's Olympia Theatre
Stanley Illsey and Leo McCabe. The result was a production of Julius Benedict
's opera, The Lily of Killarney. The cast included Veronica Dunne, Bernadette Greevy
, John Carolan and Denis Noble.
Romberg's The New Moon
, with Belfast
soprano Julia Shelley and English baritone Joseph Ward in the principal roles, followed in October 1960 at the St. Francis Xavier Hall. It ran for ten performances.
and Mozart were sung in their liturgical settings, and these were extended to public performances with the choristers now firmly established as the St. James's Choir. Their first major event was an RTE
TV showing of Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass on her name day, 22 November 1971. O'Brien conducted with soloists Bene McAteer, Brendan Cavanagh and Gerald Duffy.
Haydn's Heiligmesse and Missa in Tempore Belli
followed, but a December 1972 performance in St. James's Church of Antonín Dvořák
's Requiem Mass
was a turning point in the choir's career. It led to RTE
inviting the group to undertake Haydn's The Creation with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
under Colman Pearce
. The soloists were Eithne Troy, Frank Patterson
and William Young.
St. James's Choir made three visits (1973, 1975, 1978), with an Irish orchestra, to North America. These included concerts of mainly Irish and sacred music in New York
, Detroit, Milwaukee, Muskegon and Toronto
. Another transatlantic trip in 1989 found the choir in San Francisco, while Lourdes
featured in their itineraries of 1968, 1970, 1972, 1993, 1995 and 1997 when the choir gave a special concert at the Shrine.
In 1984, O'Brien embarked on an annual series of "Christmas Music" events in Dublin's National Concert Hall
. Initially for one performance, due to popular demand this was extended to a second from 1988.
The formation of the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir in 1984 meant a reduction in St. James's work for RTE
, but allowed O'Brien to direct his own concerts in the National Concert Hall. These included Dvořák's Stabat Mater
(1986), Verdi's Requiem
(1987), Gounod's Messe Solennelle (1989), Handel
's Messiah
(1990) and Berlioz's Te Deum
(1991), this with Stuart Burrows
as soloist.
before he was five years old, and while training for the priesthood at Clonliffe
College, he spent three of his seven Christmases in hospital. He suffered regular heart attacks and two strokes since 1990, which forced him to abandon the preparation and performances of major musical works. His health problems also forced him to early retirement from active ministry in 1996.
On 6 January 2008, after taking part at a mass in St. Canice's Church, Finglas
(where he was formerly parish priest), John O'Brien returned home and died peacefully, aged 76.http://www.irishtimes.com/notices/index.cfm?fuseaction=detail&advert=645832
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who worked in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1956 until his death in 2008. He is best remembered as one of Ireland's leading conductors, a prominent organist and founder of the retired St. James' Choir and the Glasnevin Musical Society.
Early life
John O'Brien, eldest of the four children of publican Michael O'Brien and Mary O'Dea, was born in KilrushKilrush
Kilrush is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. Kilrush is a town of great historical significance, being one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland.-History:...
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
on 30 May 1931.
He had a keen interest in music, which was nurtured at home. His mother played the violin, while the family housekeeper sang to the children every evening. At the age of seven, John was sent to Mrs. Atherton, a local piano teacher whose husband was organist of the parish church. A bright pupil, he was considered sufficiently accomplished to play a solo at the next St. Patrick's Day concert in Kilrush.
Priesthood
John O'Brien attended the Christian BrothersCongregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
' school in Kilrush until entering the junior seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
for the Diocese of Killaloe
Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe
The Diocese of Killaloe is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
in Ennis
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
when he was sixteen. He successfully completed his Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
and, not being the chosen for the seminary of Killaloe
Killaloe, County Clare
Killaloe is a large village in east County Clare, Ireland, situated in the midwest of Ireland. The village is on the south end of Lough Derg, while the settlement spreads across the River Shannon, with the County Tipperary side known as Ballina...
, O'Brien was directed instead to the Archdiocese of Dublin, where he began his studies in Clonliffe
Clonliffe
For the Dublin athletic club, see Clonliffe HarriersClonliffe is an area of north Dublin, Ireland between Ballybough and Drumcondra. Clonliffe Road is the wide linking thoroughfare nearly a mile long forming the central artery. There is an entrance at the Drumcondra end, to Holy Cross College and...
College in September, 1949. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
on 25 May 1956.
O'Brien's first appointment was as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to St. Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire
St. Michael's Hospital, Dún Laoghaire
St. Michael's Hospital is a public hospital in Dún Laoghaire in Ireland.It has an annexe, which was previously a private hospital, but is now part of the public hospital.- References :...
and afterwards, in 1957, he was made curate of Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
Parish. He combined this with the first official diocesan chaplaincy to the Bon Secours Hospital. 1962 brought a move to the rural setting of Ballitore in the parish of Narraghmore in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. This would be O'Brien's base until 1966 when he was relocated in one of Dublin's oldest parishes - St. James's, dominated by the Guinness Brewery. In 1975, he was transferred to St. Andrew's, Westland Row - one of the archbishop's own parishes. He remained there until 1983, when he was promoted to parish priest of St. Canice's, Finglas
Finglas
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...
. He retired in 1996, enjoying the title of Pastor Emeritus while still residing in Finglas.http://www.dublindiocese.ie/ddd/perrec.php?pernumcode=100547&parnumcode=800084
The Glasnevin Musical Society
In the summer of 1955, O'Brien was asked to conduct Sigmund RombergSigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer, best known for his operettas.-Biography:Romberg was born as Siegmund Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Gross-Kanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian kaiserlich und königlich monarchy period...
's The New Moon
The New Moon
The New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg written in the style of Viennese operetta...
in Kilrush
Kilrush
Kilrush is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. Kilrush is a town of great historical significance, being one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland.-History:...
. The scheduled conductor was taken ill, and John took the baton with some trepidation as the cast included the renowned English tenor Thomas Round
Thomas Round
Thomas Round is a retired English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas and in grand opera....
.
In Clonliffe
Clonliffe
For the Dublin athletic club, see Clonliffe HarriersClonliffe is an area of north Dublin, Ireland between Ballybough and Drumcondra. Clonliffe Road is the wide linking thoroughfare nearly a mile long forming the central artery. There is an entrance at the Drumcondra end, to Holy Cross College and...
, O'Brien had briefly come under the guidance of Fathers Sean Quigley and Brendan Lawless. He had sufficient self-confidence to form a choir from the nursing staff in St. Michael's Hospital, and, once in situ in Glasnevin to augment the Church choir there. With the blessing of his parish priest, Michael Geraghty, the Glasnevin Musical Society was founded in 1958. http://www.glasnevinmusicalsociety.com/aboutus/history.htm
The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
, under the musical direction of O'Brien, opened at the newly built St. Francis Xavier Hall in Dublin. The success of The Desert Song led to Romberg's ' The Student Prince
The Student Prince
The Student Prince is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The piece has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works...
, with Brychan Powell and Estelle Valery of London's Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
Opera Company in the leading roles, in 1959.
The Glasnevin Musical Society broke new ground in February 1960 when O'Brien was approached by the directors of Dublin's Olympia Theatre
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
Stanley Illsey and Leo McCabe. The result was a production of Julius Benedict
Julius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...
's opera, The Lily of Killarney. The cast included Veronica Dunne, Bernadette Greevy
Bernadette Greevy
Bernadette Greevy was an Irish mezzo-soprano. She was founder and artistic director of the Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival. She was the first artist-in-residence at the Dublin Institute of Technology's Faculty of Applied Arts.-Biography:Bernadette Greevy was born in Clontarf, Dublin...
, John Carolan and Denis Noble.
Romberg's The New Moon
The New Moon
The New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg written in the style of Viennese operetta...
, with Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
soprano Julia Shelley and English baritone Joseph Ward in the principal roles, followed in October 1960 at the St. Francis Xavier Hall. It ran for ten performances.
St. James' Choir
While stationed at St. James's Parish, and with the blessing of the parish priest, Henry Cunningham, O'Brien expanded the choir and had the organ refurbished. Masses by PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
and Mozart were sung in their liturgical settings, and these were extended to public performances with the choristers now firmly established as the St. James's Choir. Their first major event was an RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
TV showing of Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass on her name day, 22 November 1971. O'Brien conducted with soloists Bene McAteer, Brendan Cavanagh and Gerald Duffy.
Missa in tempore belli
Missa in tempore belli is Joseph Haydn’s tenth, and one of the most popular, of his fourteen settings of the mass.This mass is catalogued Mass No. 10 in C major, , and is sometimes known as the Paukenmesse due to the inclusion of the timpani in its orchestration...
followed, but a December 1972 performance in St. James's Church of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Requiem Mass
Requiem (Dvorák)
Antonín Dvořák's Requiem in B-flat minor, Op. 89, B. 165, is a funeral mass for soloists, choir and orchestra, composed in 1890.- Background :...
was a turning point in the choir's career. It led to RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
inviting the group to undertake Haydn's The Creation with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...
under Colman Pearce
Colman Pearce
Colman Pearce is an Irish pianist and conductor.Born in 1938 in Dublin Pearce was educated at the University College Dublin, he studied conducting in Hilversum and Vienna...
. The soloists were Eithne Troy, Frank Patterson
Frank Patterson
Frank Patterson was an internationally renowned Irish tenor following in the tradition of singers such as Count John McCormack and Josef Locke. He was known as "Ireland's Golden Tenor".- Early life :...
and William Young.
St. James's Choir made three visits (1973, 1975, 1978), with an Irish orchestra, to North America. These included concerts of mainly Irish and sacred music in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Detroit, Milwaukee, Muskegon and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Another transatlantic trip in 1989 found the choir in San Francisco, while Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
featured in their itineraries of 1968, 1970, 1972, 1993, 1995 and 1997 when the choir gave a special concert at the Shrine.
In 1984, O'Brien embarked on an annual series of "Christmas Music" events in Dublin's National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
. Initially for one performance, due to popular demand this was extended to a second from 1988.
The formation of the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir in 1984 meant a reduction in St. James's work for RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
, but allowed O'Brien to direct his own concerts in the National Concert Hall. These included Dvořák's Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater (Dvorák)
Stabat Mater for soli, choir and orchestra is a religious cantata by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. The work was sketched in 1876 and completed in 1877.- Background :...
(1986), Verdi's Requiem
Requiem (Verdi)
The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
(1987), Gounod's Messe Solennelle (1989), Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
(1990) and Berlioz's Te Deum
Te Deum (Berlioz)
The Te Deum by Hector Berlioz was completed in 1849. It, like the earlier and more famous Grande Messe des Morts, is one of Berlioz's "architectural" works...
(1991), this with Stuart Burrows
Stuart Burrows
Stuart Burrows - OBE is a Welsh operatic tenor.-Biography:The Cilfynydd-born singer scaled the peaks of musical distinction during his lengthy career which saw him give up teaching to pursue a new life on the opera stage...
as soloist.
Health problems and death
O'Brien suffered ill health throughout his life. He had two bouts of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
before he was five years old, and while training for the priesthood at Clonliffe
Clonliffe
For the Dublin athletic club, see Clonliffe HarriersClonliffe is an area of north Dublin, Ireland between Ballybough and Drumcondra. Clonliffe Road is the wide linking thoroughfare nearly a mile long forming the central artery. There is an entrance at the Drumcondra end, to Holy Cross College and...
College, he spent three of his seven Christmases in hospital. He suffered regular heart attacks and two strokes since 1990, which forced him to abandon the preparation and performances of major musical works. His health problems also forced him to early retirement from active ministry in 1996.
On 6 January 2008, after taking part at a mass in St. Canice's Church, Finglas
Finglas
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...
(where he was formerly parish priest), John O'Brien returned home and died peacefully, aged 76.http://www.irishtimes.com/notices/index.cfm?fuseaction=detail&advert=645832
External links
- John O'Brien at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- Website of The Glasnevin Musical Society
- National Concert Hall, Dublin website