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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Zagapolooza, 2010
the secondary school. These choirs not only performed at school concerts and liturgies but also
competed in a number of choral compeiions with considerable success. Eoin Garret’s involvement
coninued with the senior choir which was also an important part of the school liturgies.
With a full-ime music teacher it was to be expected that stage musical producions would
appear on the College calendar. In May 1974 Gerry Murphy directed the irst school opereta
The Pride of the Regiment and following year the junior boys delivered The Royal Jester again
produced by Gerry and again supported by soloists from Muckross Park.
In 1976 with the acive support of Fr Murray, Gerry embarked on an enterprise which was
to change the musical life of the College for thirty years. On the 15th January 1976 the premier
performance of A Spy in the Ointment was given in the school hall. This opereta was composed
directed and produced by Gerry Murphy from his own libreto. None of those present that
evening in the Hall could have guessed that this was to be the irst of ive Murphy operas which
would be performed in ive year cycles unil Gerry reired as music teacher in 2006. In order they
were: A Dog in the Hand, Aghast at the Wedding, Double Check and Mine is the Kingdom. Most
spectacularly all ive were produced on ive consecuive nights in January 2001 to celebrate the
Simon Eustace, class of golden jubilee of the foundaion of the College with many of the leading parts taken by those
1999, playing with his band
‘Chapters’ at Castlepalooza who had premiered in the roles in the 1970’s.
Festival in 2009 These Murphy operas had a far greater inluence on the life of the school than do many school
producions. Of course they were composed speciically for the boys of Gonzaga (and indeed the
divas of Muckross). But although the principal parts fell iniially to Sixth Years and subsequently
John Fitzgerald, class of 1999, (when the Leaving Ceriicate was taken by Sixth Years) to Fith Years; all members of Fith Year and
aka Messiah J, headlining a all First Years were included as chorus or stage hands meaning that one third of the enire senior
gig in Andrew’s Lane Theatre
school were involved. While Gerry directed the orchestra from front of stage, behind stage the
producion was in the hands of a Fith Year stage manager whose responsibiliies included control
of stage and scenery and (oten more diicult) organisaion of First and Fith year choruses. Many
discharged these duies so efecively that they went on to be chosen a School Captain.
Just two months ater this historical irst night Gerry directed the irst performance of his
Mass in honour of St Aloysius Gonzaga in the College Chapel at the inal vows ceremony of Frs
Frank Buckley and Alan Mowbray SJ. This Mass was to be the mainstay of the Senior School Choir
for the next thirty years. For the following six years the liturgies in the Chapel were supported
by the Choir directed by the Headmaster, Fr Dermot Murray SJ or Fr Joe Brennan SJ with Gerry
Murphy at the organ.
Meanwhile Gerry coninued at his “day job” as music master. All boys in the junior years
of Senior School studied music, but as a general foundaion, and not as part of an examinaion
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Zagapolooza, 2010
the secondary school. These choirs not only performed at school concerts and liturgies but also
competed in a number of choral compeiions with considerable success. Eoin Garret’s involvement
coninued with the senior choir which was also an important part of the school liturgies.
With a full-ime music teacher it was to be expected that stage musical producions would
appear on the College calendar. In May 1974 Gerry Murphy directed the irst school opereta
The Pride of the Regiment and following year the junior boys delivered The Royal Jester again
produced by Gerry and again supported by soloists from Muckross Park.
In 1976 with the acive support of Fr Murray, Gerry embarked on an enterprise which was
to change the musical life of the College for thirty years. On the 15th January 1976 the premier
performance of A Spy in the Ointment was given in the school hall. This opereta was composed
directed and produced by Gerry Murphy from his own libreto. None of those present that
evening in the Hall could have guessed that this was to be the irst of ive Murphy operas which
would be performed in ive year cycles unil Gerry reired as music teacher in 2006. In order they
were: A Dog in the Hand, Aghast at the Wedding, Double Check and Mine is the Kingdom. Most
spectacularly all ive were produced on ive consecuive nights in January 2001 to celebrate the
Simon Eustace, class of golden jubilee of the foundaion of the College with many of the leading parts taken by those
1999, playing with his band
‘Chapters’ at Castlepalooza who had premiered in the roles in the 1970’s.
Festival in 2009 These Murphy operas had a far greater inluence on the life of the school than do many school
producions. Of course they were composed speciically for the boys of Gonzaga (and indeed the
divas of Muckross). But although the principal parts fell iniially to Sixth Years and subsequently
John Fitzgerald, class of 1999, (when the Leaving Ceriicate was taken by Sixth Years) to Fith Years; all members of Fith Year and
aka Messiah J, headlining a all First Years were included as chorus or stage hands meaning that one third of the enire senior
gig in Andrew’s Lane Theatre
school were involved. While Gerry directed the orchestra from front of stage, behind stage the
producion was in the hands of a Fith Year stage manager whose responsibiliies included control
of stage and scenery and (oten more diicult) organisaion of First and Fith year choruses. Many
discharged these duies so efecively that they went on to be chosen a School Captain.
Just two months ater this historical irst night Gerry directed the irst performance of his
Mass in honour of St Aloysius Gonzaga in the College Chapel at the inal vows ceremony of Frs
Frank Buckley and Alan Mowbray SJ. This Mass was to be the mainstay of the Senior School Choir
for the next thirty years. For the following six years the liturgies in the Chapel were supported
by the Choir directed by the Headmaster, Fr Dermot Murray SJ or Fr Joe Brennan SJ with Gerry
Murphy at the organ.
Meanwhile Gerry coninued at his “day job” as music master. All boys in the junior years
of Senior School studied music, but as a general foundaion, and not as part of an examinaion
