The Waking of Brian Boru

Armagh Public Library is proud to have been involved, as lead organisation, in the community spectacle ‘ The Waking of Brian Boru’, commemorating 1,000 years since the death of Brian Boru, Last High King of Ireland in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh on Thursday 1st May and Friday 2nd May 2014.

Image credits and copyright: Ian Maginess

WBB1
The Very Revd Gregory Dunstan, Dean of Armagh and Keeper of the Armagh Public Library; The Lady Mayor of Armagh, Mrs Barbara Turner; Dr Sally Walmsley, the Project Facilitator; the Lord Mayor of Armagh, Councillor Robert Turner.
WBB2
The Arts Care Choir. The choir performed the processional song ‘Tell, tell a story, tell of Brian Boru’, and closed each act with a sung summary of events and a response in Latin drawing from the entry in the Book of Armagh, which records the laying of gold on the altar and describes Brian as Emperor of the Irish.
WBB3
Students from Lisanally Special School. The students’ drum contribution was widely considered one of the highlights of the performance.
WBB4
Pupils from the Armstrong Primary School, who helped to give out programmes and who played ‘Brian Boru’s army tour of the north’
WBB5
Pupils from St Malachy’s Primary School. During the performance they sang the song, ‘Praising the King of Tara’.