The National Concert Hall Education and Community Outreach Department in Association with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority presented the annual ‘Music in the Docklands’ concert at the National Concert Hall on Wednesday 9th of November 2005.

Taking part were two local national girls schools, St.Patrick’s of Ringsend and St.Vincent’s of Dublin 1. Together with a group of professional musicians provided by the NCH’s Education and Community Outreach Department, they performed a 30-minute musical piece based around songs, grooves and raps.

The theme of the entire piece was ‘things we used not like but now don’t mind so much’. These ‘things’ were then incorporated into the lyrics of the piece.

The girls of St Vincent’s as they were now taller didn’t mind football as much as they used to and the girls of St Patrick’s, for whatever reason, didn’t seem to mind apple skins anymore. So much so now they have apple skins for dinner, regularly!

After the audience had finished practising applause (the director, Tim Steiner, leaving nothing to chance), the concert finally got under way.

The girls played a variety of instruments: tambourines, guitars, shakers, violins, triangles and all sang together as a chorus with small groups breaking off into raps about football and apple skins before all joining back again into the chorus.

The concert was brilliant fun for all involved– the performers and the audience– and when it finished the entire ensemble received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Matt Bolton of the DDDA spoke after the performance how the development of the docklands was not just about bricks and mortar but, more importantly, about the people.