A soul revival
A new series exploring spirituality, culture and soul and a positive path out of Ireland's current darkness
“ Soul is the music people understand. Sure it's basic and it's simple. But it's something else 'cause, 'cause, 'cause it's honest, that's it. It’s honest. There's no f***in' bullshit “
- Jimmy Rabbitte, The Commitments.
At some point during 1984, you might say, I had a spiritual decision to make. It was early September and Mrs Garvey, an ayatollah of a woman and school principal, was asking us newly arrived boys in 5th class a question. The question had only two possible answers. Did we want to walk through the door marked “choir” or the one chiselled with the word “ altar “
An option of “ none of the above “ was not on Mrs Garvey’s suite of acceptable responses. Indeed, that kind of reply was quite likely to bring a daintily closed fist and the double whammy of her engagement & wedding rings clattering into the back of your head. Although I shouldn’t feel too hard done by. Girls didn’t even get a choice and so turned right on entrance to our parish church and shooted directly up the stairs to the large organ and choir balcony. Our choir was packed with cailíní from 5th and 6th class so there really was only one option for a young lad. To run into the sacristy to Fr. Lowry with an O’Neill’s football tucked under one elbow, a keen interest in featherweight boxing and Barry McGuigan under the other and sign up to be an altar boy.
I may well have sprinted.