Where can I begin to express our appreciation for a most memorable trip? This trip far exceeded my every expectation. Special thanks to Dan for “talking me down” when there were three people who had no seats on the plane in Pittsburgh. He was so right: they had to find them space, and they did. I have a new regard also for United Airlines who did everything for us including holding the plane from Newark to Dublin so that we could be on it when we were delayed in Pittsburgh. Barbara Hunter was there in Dublin with a sign and a smile for all of us. What a find she is!!! She was definitely a pot of gold with a wealth of knowledge about all of Ireland including the history, the flora, and the fauna. It was amazing, and she held our interest the entire trip. She paid extra attention of every detail and worked tirelessly on our behalf. She even arranged for a working sheep dog demonstration along the Ring of Kerry. It was 5 Euros extra for each of us, but we absolutely loved every minute of it. I would strongly recommend that she be YOUR guide in Ireland when possible. Edmundo, the performance venues were superb. Fortunately, by the nature of our singing we don’t need much to do our job. The audiences were large in every venue, the publicity that went out in advance of our trip was perfect, and the two churches were so very special. After being awake for more than 24 hours, I questioned myself on saying yes to the Killarney Summerfest; but we were so very happy that we did it. My favorite venue was the Cathedral of St. Canice near Kilkenny; it was awe-inspiring. To read more about the performances and see pictures, look at the front page of our website www.greaterharmony.org Much of what we saw was overwhelming. To sing in an ancient ruin in Glendalaugh was something we will never forget. The landscape of Ireland just takes your breath away, while the roads were often a challenge to our superb bus driver, Peter. He was a small man with a giant heart. We sang “Three cheers for the bus driver”more than once!! Every hotel was wonderful, comfortable, clean, and within walking distance of the towns. And the food…………o my……..one of the girls said she felt like she was at a wedding every night. No one complained about the lodging or any of the food. That in itself speaks volumes!! O, and our visit and dinner at Merry Ploughboys Pub was fun, fun!! It was quite a surprise and an honor to sing in Dublin to benefit Cappaugh Orthopedic Hospital. The hospital foundation employees pulled out all the stops and provided a light lunch after and took us to a local pub for Irish music and something to drink following lunch. The executive director even gave me a huge bouquet of flowers and that was before he pulled me onto the dance floor in the pub for some genuine Irish dancing! I gave the flowers to Barbara as I could not take them on the plane. Paddy Murphy was a delight as well. He got a call from Allison in your London location, and he had me talk to her. I would hope you would continue working to assist this hospital with benefit concerts whenever possible. I still cannot believe it is over. It seems like a dream! Ashley was always available for any question (important or not!) that I had, and she has the patience to spare. She is a professional through and through. I appreciated her help with everything, and if I wanted anything, all I had to do was ask. You can be proud of your team and the service you provide. I have sung your praises to our International organization, and I hope other choruses across the country take advantage of the trips that are offered. You know our trip was a fine one when at the last dinner in Ireland the prevailing question was: “Where to next!” Kissing the Blarney Stone for the second time as extended my gift of gab as you can see!! I literally could go on and on about this fascinating trip. Let me simply end by saying that we are so fortunate that you found us a few years ago when we were invited to Washington, DC. We look forward to working with all of you in the very near future.
Donna Knapp Harmony Chorus of Sweet Adelines Verona, PA