'Songs were sung and memories were recalled': A celebration of Cork's Over 60s Talent Competition

Past winners and other notable performers of Cork’s ‘Over 60s Talent Competition’ were in fine voice at Cork City Hall last week at a special reception to mark the 43 years of the contest which was established by positive ageing advocate Paddy O’Brien to combat what he describes as the silent killer of the elderly, loneliness.

Hosted by Lord Mayor Dan Boyle, who has been known to burst into song himself, the reception heard several songs from past winners and runners up in the competition which ran from 1977 to 2019.

The singers included Mary Conway, who won the competition in 2009. “She will celebrate her 94th birthday in July, still singing better than ever before,” said Mr O’Brien.

Whereas heats were held in nursing homes and hospitals around the city and county, the final was held in the Cork Opera House and, later to accommodate larger crowds clamouring for tickets, the final, a black tie event, was moved to City Hall.

Last week’s event was held in the Lord Mayor’s Chambers which, according to Cork’s first citizen, were transformed into a parlour by the visit of the former winners and finalists.

“Songs were sung and memories were recalled – it was a pleasure to have them visit,” said the Lord Mayor.

The organiser of the Over 60s Talent Competition, Paddy O’Brien, said all the credit was due to the volunteers and the participants over the years.

“It started in 1977 and I ran it for 43 years and we went in to every parish in the city and in some of the county as well,” he said.

“Various charitable organisations benefited from it because all the people involved in the Over 60s Talent Competition worked in a voluntary capacity, myself of course,” he said.

“The Irish Heart Foundation — I worked for them as a regional manager — received €600,000 over a period of some years.

“It brought great joy to people, it brought parishes together, it brought communities together, it brought families together — because every year you had a son coming home from Canada or a daughter coming home and it was a great joyous occasion on the night.”

Mr O’Brien paid particular tribute to Bishop John Buckley, the former Bishop of Cork and Ross, who, he said, “had a great affiliation to the Over 60s, because he was consecrated Bishop on May 29, 1989, and his first engagement that evening was to come to City Hall for the Over 60s Talent Competition that evening”.

Paddy says that he’s always asked if the Over 60s Talent Competition will return but he believes that due to the ever present threat of covid means this is unlikely.

“A lot of people were very disappointed when it was discontinued but you never know, at the moment it’s still alive as, every week, we’re out in nursing homes, entertaining the residents.”