TRANSITION year students from Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG on Cork’s northside brought the glamour of the theatre to Fitzgerald’s Park with a special outdoor production of Moulin Rouge.

Students at the co-educational DEIS secondary school put in months of work to prepare for the musical showcase, and teacher Julia Ní Chochláin, who acted as the choreographer, said the production was a great success.

"We typically do our showcase around Christmas time but obviously, due to restrictions with Covid, we could not do it this year,” she said.

“We tried to come up with an alternative solution to showcase the talent in our school. Our TY students did a version of Moulin Rouge.

“It was a really good performance. Lots of family members including parents and grandparents were present to see the students performing.

“It was a great day for the school and the pupils. There was a great atmosphere and the students really enjoyed themselves. They are great ambassadors for the school.”

Numerous teachers at the school were involved behind the scenes to prepare the students for the performance.

Ms Ní Chochláin said the hard work starts in September, when the fourth-year students commence their new academic year.

“We have been practising hard since last September,” she said. “It is a module that we offer at TY level. When the students come in September, we start rehearsals immediately.

“It would be the first time a lot of the students would have performed to this level. All the year were involved. There were up to 45 performers. We had other students helping behind the scenes. It is a great opportunity for the students to learn new skills such as singing and dancing. It gives them confidence. We acted out scenes from Moulin Rouge, we also had songs from Elton John and the melodies that were in Moulin Rouge.

“There are a team of us that ran the musical every year."

Jack O’Rourke, the music teacher, helped the students with their songs. Megan Moloney, the English teacher ran all the script and the lines with the students.

Eleanor O’Connell, the music teacher, was also involved. 

“Art teacher Mairéad Ní Riain was a huge help in creating the fantastic backdrops and props for the production,” she added.

Ms Ní Chochláin also paid tribute to Cork City Council for their help in providing such a suitable outdoor venue for their production.

The teacher said the pressure is now on next year’s class as “the bar has been set”.

“We got it approved by Cork City Council, who were hugely obliging, and we were able to do it on the dome stage in Fitzgerald’s Park.

“We are one of the few schools nationwide that were able to do their TY musical.

“We were so lucky to have the facilities so close to us. We will have to produce another musical to top this next year, which will be tough.

“The bar has been set.”