Sir, – In response to Gerry Kelly’s letter (Fond memories of the Jesuit community in Clongowes Wood, March 25th): Gerry is playing down the contribution that the Kelly family, in particular his father TC Kelly, made to music in Clongowes in the 1960s.
TC Kelly was a prolific composer, gifted musician and a superb teacher of music. TC demanded the highest of standards, and by some kind of alchemy/trickery in his tireless efforts with the school choir, he was able to extract extraordinary vocal performances out of willing, but not always able, young voices.
Sixty years later, I can still vividly recall TC guiding the choir through Speed your Journey, The West’s Awake, Nobody Knows the Trouble I See.
These tunes are embedded. It was through his passion and love for music that myself and so many others have been given a lifelong love of music in its many and varied forms. TC Kelly was the embodiment, the quintessence, of what a good teacher should be.
READ MORE
A passion for his subject, along with the skill and tireless dedication in being able to ignite that same passion in his pupils. We were indeed blessed to have had TC Kelly in our lives. – Yours, etc,
TOM BRADLEY,
Raynes Park,
London.
