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She was a force of nature in kindness and strength of personality, using her abilities as a highly trained musician to enrich the entire community and beyond in a lifetime of service.
For Mary Mc Manus, a native of Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, music, notably choral music, was an enormous universal inheritance that belonged to everyone, and she would faithfully pass on its beauty and strength.
Her warm uplifting and creative personality approached her art with this distinctive purpose, and insisted throughout her career that extra efforts to interpret authentically would enrich the receiver accordingly with a sense of achievement.
Mary Mc Manus was born in 1956 to Patrick and Maureen Mc Manus and at a very early age the family moved to Warrenpoint. Her mother said that when still in the pram, Mary would bob and weave to the music on the radio, and so at the age of seven, she began her formal music lessons on piano with Newry teacher Dorothy Haines Dent.
She attended Star of the Sea Primary school in Warrenpoint and afterwards went to Our Lady’s Grammar in Newry before attending the London College of Music for three years where she concentrated on piano and choral music. Her talent and application took her immediately into the music scene in London and across the UK and Ireland, and she brought her immense gifts back to Newry and South Down.
This later included ten years as conductor and musical director of the South Down Choral Society featuring such as Mozart, Handel, Bach and Palestrina and she enjoyed in particular teaching the works of Chilcott, Faure and Karl Jenkins. For all the highbrow nature of the works she conducted it has to be said that Mary was fun. Minor faults by a choir member she knew to be a friend were rewarded with a faux ‘look of horror’. This would encourage the uninitiated to higher standards whilst being worn as a badge of honour by the recipient.
Mary was at the centre of every post performance soiree and held court for a loving retinue during hilarious musical post-mortems. In conversation she defended her opinions, right or wrong and revelled in intellectual jousting. Her musical excellence and genial company earned her the unconditional love of her devotees.
But she also brought her music directly to the world of the disadvantaged, notably to the native Innuit children where she spent time in Prince George College in Canada, also spent several years with orphaned children in Romania after the fall of dictator Ceausescu, and worked here in Ireland educating children who had fallen on the wrong side of the educational establishments challenging them into self-worth and sense of achievement with her music.
Local drama group Newpoint Players voiced her ‘staggering commitment’ as regular musical director which was so central down the recent decades including their All-Ireland drama victory with ‘Marat-Saad’ in 1994 when Mary won the best musical prize. She also founded Vocal Score, a local mobile choral group which sang regularly on various occasions - always in harmony-including many of the Newpoint members.
Mary taught music throughout her career in St Paul’s Bessbrook, St. Josephs H.S., Newry where she formed a 70+ strong boys’ choir- St Columban’s Crossgar and St Louise’s Comprehensive College, and gave freely of her time and talents in playing organ and piano for many community events.
At various times she directed music for Newry Musical Society productions, the Bosco Musical Society, Warrenpoint Pantomine Club and the Killowen and Drumalane Church Choirs. Her overall musical reach was huge, winning at Navan International Choral Festival, and Derry International Choral Festival. She had a love for sacred music above all and served as choir mistress in Drumalane Church when Sean O Riada’s Mass was broadcast live on Radio na Gaetachta.
The South Down Choral Society are dedicating the coming spring concerts to her cherished memory. The Newry event will be held in Cloghogue chapel on May 28 at 7.30, while the Newcastle concert is being staged in the Church of the Assumption on May 30, also at 7.30.
Three years ago, Mary was struck down with an illness that robbed her of her mobility. She found the strength to keep up her spirits in those challenging times, and make appearances even in her illness. Her final concert was a mere 18 months ago, and she kept in touch with the local music scene to the very end.
All those many who knew her and heard her music will never forget the joy and colour that she brought to them over the years, and all those disadvantaged will never forget how she so enriched them by bringing her musical brilliance into their lives.
She is survived by her husband Dominic, son Christopher and brother Gerry.
