Mayor Kevin Kiely
Cllr. Kevin Kiely was was appointed a Peace Commissioner by the Minister for Justice, Michael Noonan in 1983. Cllr Kiely was first elected as a Fine Gael Member of Limerick City Council in 1985. Re-elected to Limerick City Council in June 2009 and later elected 813th Mayor of Limerick in June, 2009. Chairman of Limerick City Council Joint Policing. Former Chairman of Limerick City Council Future Planning Former Chairman of Limerick City Council Sporting and Culture SPC. Interests include sports and community activities.
Dame Joan Sutherland
The celebrated Australian soprano, Joan Sutherland, was taught piano and voice by her mother until she was nineteen, when she trained formally in Sydney with John and Aida Dickens.
Joan Sutherland sang in concerts, oratorios and broadcasts throughout Australia and in August 1947 made a significant concert debut in Sydney as Purcell's Dido. In 1951 having won Australia's foremost vocal competition, she came to London and studied with Clive Carey at the Opera School of the RCM. She then joined the Covent Garden company where she made her debut on 28 October 1952, as the First Lady in Die Zauberflote.
As a company soprano at Covent Garden, Joan Sutherland sang of roles encompassing a broad range of the repertoire from Weber (Agathe in Der Freischutz) and Wagner to Tippett by way of Offenbach, Bizet, Mozart and Verdi.
Joan Sutherland’s repertoire of roles continued to grow throughout her career. Her final performances were in Sydney (1990) as Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots. Her final Covent Garden appearance was as guest performer in the New Year's Eve performance of of Die Fledermaus in 1990, when she sang duets with Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne, as well as "Home, Sweet Home", a favourite encore item (as it was of Dame Nellie Melba).
Joan Sutherland received many international honours, among them , the award of Dame of the British Empire in 1979 and the much prized Order of Merit (limited in number, and very rarely awarded to musicians; Edward Elgar was a previous recipient) in 1991.
In retirement, Joan Sutherland has been in demand as an adjudicator at major singing competitons, together with Marilyn Horne, she is a regular member of the panel at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Mr Basil Walsh
Basil Walsh is an author and writer on nineteenth-century opera. He was born in Dublin and has lived most of his life in Florida where he now resides in Palm Beach County. He is a retired marketing and advertising executive, having held senior positions in the airline and information technology industries.
His 370-page biography, Catherine Hayes - The Hibernian Prima Donna, (Foreword written by the conductor Richard Bonynge), was published in Ireland and the USA simultaneously by Irish Academic Press in September 2000. This is the first definitive biography of this important Irish born artist who sang with great success around the world during the nineteenth-century.
In 2001, he was invited by the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin to contribute to its forthcoming multi-volume, National Dictionary of Irish Biography.
He has also contributed to various other publications, encyclopaedias and journals, in the USA and Europe, including, Opera Quarterly (Oxford University Press), The Donizetti Society of London, Newsletter, The Victorian Web, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, encyclopaedia, Germany, the multi-volume, Ireland and the Americas, ABC/CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA., the forthcoming, Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland, UCD Press, Dublin, and History Ireland. He has been a speaker on opera in both Europe and the USA.
He latest work, a new biography of the Dublin born, nineteenth-century operatic composer and singer, Michael William Balfe will be published for the composer’s bicentennial in 2008 in Europe and the USA, by Irish Academic Press, in cooperation with the Arts Council of Ireland. He maintains two web sites relating to his biographies.
Lady Limerick
Countess Sylvia Pery is is a supporter of many charitable causes and has now kindly offered to support The Catherine Hayes Projects.
Maestro Richard Bonynge
Acclaimed as a scholar of bel canto opera and for his special interest in early ballet music, Mo. Bonynge has conducted in many of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera and the Edinburgh, Vienna and Florence festivals. His recent engagements have included La Fille du régiment at Opera Pacific, Die Zauberflöte at Minnesota Opera, Faust at Opera Colorado, and Les Contes d’Hoffmann and L’Italiana in Algeri at the Sydney Opera House and Los Angeles Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia for The Dallas Opera, Così fan tutte at Opera Colorado, Carmen in Australia, La Fille du régiment in Monte Carlo and other bel canto works in Barcelona, Naples and Savona.
Mo. Bonynge led the first modern perfomances of I puritani at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976 with a historic cast starring Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes and James Morris. Additional highlights of his career include performances with Dame Joan Sutherland in her farewell engagements in Les Huguenots in Sydney, Die Fledermaus at Covent Garden and in recital in Dublin. He also conducted Roberto Devereaux in Barcelona, and Semiramide in Catania and at The Dallas Opera. Mr. Bonynge and Dame Joan performed together in performances of Lehár's The Merry Widow.
Mr Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan, composer of Riverdance The Show, has worked extensively in theatre, television and film.
His orchestral works include the specially commissioned piece, The Seville Suite (1992) and The Spirit Of Mayo (1993). His work in international film includes Lamb which he co-composed with Van Morrison, his emotive score for the Jim Sheridan/Terry George film Some Mother's Son and the original score for the film version of Brian Friel's award winning Dancing At Lughnasa which starred Meryl Streep. Bill recently composed the musical score for the critically acclaimed Irish history television documentary, The Seven Ages, produced and directed by Sean O Mordha.
Bill Whelan is the winner of the 1997 Grammy Award for 'Best Musical Show Album' for the Riverdance CD. The album of Bill Whelan's music has been a huge chart success, reaching double platinum status in Ireland and platinum in the USA.
Riverdance The Show continues to tour the world and the show made its Broadway debut earlier this year. Riverdance On Broadway features new music written by Bill and is running for a limited engagement at The Gershwin Theatre.
Mr Keith Wood
Keith Wood (born 27 January 1972 in Killaloe) is a former international rugby union footballer who played hooker for Ireland, the Lions, Garryowen, Harlequins and Munster.
He started his career with Garryowen who he helped to All Ireland titles in 1992 and 1994 before moving to Harlequins. Wood made his international debut in 1994 against Australia. He was capped 58 times for Ireland and five times for the Lions. Renowned for playing with his heart on his sleeve, Wood always put his body on the line with trademark charging runs at the defence, or bullish tackles. Never the most accurate player in the set piece his real strength was in leadership and open play where he dominated the world XV's hooker spot.
He played on the 1997 and 2001 Lions tours, and was the first winner of the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2001. He played a major part in the Lions' 2-1 series victory over the Springboks in 1997. Wood captained Ireland. He was followed as Ireland captain by Brian O'Driscoll. Wood retired from playing after the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In 2005 Wood was inducted into the Rugby Hall of fame.
