The past year saw APC involved in a wide range of activities. In October the Club won the Corporate Award at Irish Music Magazine's Award's Ceremony in the National Concert Hall. The 5th series of Trad at the Trian increased its audience throughout the year with full houses most nights. Guests included singers Cathal McConnell, John Moulden, Con Fada Ó Drisceoil, Kevin Mitchell, Áine Ní Cheallaigh and Patricia Flynn and instrumentalists Paul Bradley, Ciaran Burns, Séamus Creagh, Kevin Henderson, Martin Meehan, Barry Kerr, Martin Quinn & Angelina Carberry.
The William Kennedy Piping Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with a super line-up of bands & soloists, amongst them Liam O'Flynn & Catherine Ennis, Altan, Lúnasa, Dáimh, Dorsa, Karan Casey Band, North Cregg, Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, Killeen Pipe Band, Arche, Eric Montbel, Ross Ainslie, Andy May, Jose Manuel Tejedor, Robert Watt, Fred Morrison, Paddy Keenan, Peter Browne, Claire Byrne, Robbie Hannan, Cillian Vallely, Jarlath Henderson, Sinéad Lennon, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn & Eamonn Curran.
A CD of music recorded live during the previous nine years of the Festival was launched and has received favourable reviews.
Two radio programmes recorded at the Festival were broadcast, one on Christmas Day and one on St. Patrick's Day.
In December Jarlath Henderson became the first musician from Ireland to win BBC Folk on Two Young Musician, and this lead to a number of prestigious appearances at major music festivals such as Cambridge and Sidmouth.
A large number of pupils took part in an Irish Christmas Mass in the Cathedral and a Christmas Concert in the Palace Stables.
The New Year started off as usual with our Burns Night which looks set to become an annual event on the calendar.
APC were invited to compose and record a piece of music as part of a new Tubular Bells 2 CD and the piece, a reel written by Caoimhín Vallely, was recorded in February. Our Annual Concert, with contributions from everybody in the Club, took place in the Marketplace Theatre on March 28th.
Our harp teacher, Patricia Daly, released a new CD and organised a major Harp Festival in honour of Edward Bunting. The Rooney family also launched their family CD in the Summer.
Our new Fiddle Band "Fidil" under the direction of Maeve O'Hare with some help from Caoimhín Vallely & Laura Henderson worked hard throughout the year and obtained Honours in their Grade 8 Ensemble exam.
June 1st saw a performance by the musicians who recorded the new Tubular Bells CD to celebrate the opening of the SELB's multi-media centre in Armagh.
The beginners' classes ended the year with a performance of a musical play based on the legend of the Navan Dragon, with music, song, dance, costumes and make-up!
Even the Summer was busy! At the end of June we had an exchange visit from our Skye friends with a hectic week of music, song, dance, busking, barbecue & bowling. Thanks to our teachers Dónal O'Connor, Mary Fox, Antaine Ó Faracháin and Patricia Daly as well as to the parents who helped organise the week's events.
A few days later, an instrumental group performed in Armagh Cathedral at a major concert featuring choirs from Philadelphia, Belfast & Armagh.
A piping group from the club gave a performance at Feis na nGleann in Co. Antrim; club musicians also played on Rathlin Island, both at the launch of An Leabhar Mór, and at the Rathlin Airs Festival in July.
Méabh O'Hare launched her second documentary film, on pipe-maker Caoimhín Ó Raghailligh, at the Willie Clancy Summer School in July.
In August, our singing group recorded some songs for TG4's "Abair Amhrán" which goes out after Christmas.