Mayo children to perform for the Pope

A MOMENT TO SAVOUR Children from Foxford and Pontoon will be among the group to perform for Pope Francis in Croke Park.

Ciara Galvin

Mayo children will be among 40 dancers who will perform sean nós dancing for the Pope in Croke Park on Saturday, August 25.
Members of Edwina Guckian’s Áirc Damhsa Dance Club were asked to perform at the World Meeting of Families 2018 by Tyrone Productions following a number of TV appearances such as the Late Late Toy Show and the All Ireland Talent Show.
Mayo children from Foxford and Pontoon will join the other dancers from Leitrim, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo and Offaly.
Over 70,000 people will be in Croke Park for the event, which will see Pope Francis deliver an address to all assembled.
The sean nós dancers aged five to 15 years will open the show and join Riverdance on stage for a six-minute performance.
Ms Guckian revealed that they will perform a brand new piece with original music composed by former Principal Conductor of the RTE Concert Orchestra, David Brophy – known to many through the High Hopes TV series. The children have been rehearsing in Dublin and will rehearse again in Croke Park on Friday, August 24.
Around 2,000 performers, including Daniel O’Donnell, Nathan Carter and The Priests, will entertain the Pope and the crowd on the day. “It is a huge honour to be asked to perform and it is certainly one the children will never forget,” said Ms Guckian.
The World Meeting of Families 2018 Festival is a two hour event. It is a ticket only event and will be broadcast live on RTÉ2 television as well as on radio on Saturday, August 25, at 6.30pm.