March, 1926, Wednesday 10

Did not go to school, but went to Imperial Hotel to arrange everything for concert. I was there from 9.30 till 2 o’clock. Only one man came with cartloads of chairs, and I had to haul them up with a rope from the yard below the hall, drag them in, and arrange them all. It was terrible work. Had to put on numbers on chairs, and a hundred other things. Mammie was in quite good form when I came home. To make a long story short, everything went very well. Mammie played splendidly, and especially the Wagner, Debussy and Pappie’s Rhapsody. She never played so well before. Mrs. Horgan28 also sang without a hitch. The hall was about three quarters full, but they were very enthusiastic. When Mammie finished the Rhapsody, which, unprejudiced, I really think a glorious work, they shouted for composer, but P didn’t appear. The people can evidently appreciate modern music better, for, though difficult to understand, it is lighter. – Had tea in lounge. Mammie in quite good spirits. Mrs. Stockley and Mrs. Neeson29 came home afterwards. I settled affairs. I hope to heaven Mammie didn’t lose [money] after such great work.

  1. Rita Wallace, a Scottish opera singer with the Carl Rosa Company, suffered a throat infection while performing in the Cork Opera House, and (after several years) married the specialist who had treated her: J.B: Horgan. [↩]
  2. Geraldine Neeson née O’Sullivan (1895-1980), a pianist who had studied with Tilly Fleischmann; she was on the staff of the School of Music, and later became music critic to the Cork Examiner. She acted lead roles with the Cork theatrical groups An Dún, the Little Theatre Society, Cork Drama League. Among her friends were Muriel and Terence MacSwiney, the Stockleys, Micheál MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards, Frank O’Connor. [↩]