Published in the March 16, 2018 edition

MELROSE — The Polymnia Choral Society will be honoring St. Patrick’s Day with all-Celtic concerts, featuring “Letters from Ireland,” at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, at Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street, Melrose.

“Letters from Ireland” is a collection of well-loved rollicking jigs and plaintive ballads interspersed with the readings of actual letters written during the time of the potato famine and the migration of many Irish people to America. Mary Beth Margolis will be reading the letters, as will Brendan Carroll.

Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis is a Melrose native, first generation of an Irish tenor born in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, and a “Darling Girl from Clare.” Mary Beth is the Community Outreach Director for MMTV, Melrose’s award-winning, local-access TV station. She also produces and hosts “On Main Street,” a show about the goings-on in and around Melrose. Mary Beth has just retired from her elected position with the City of Melrose. After 18 years as a member of the School Committee and an Alderman at Large, she is happily returning to her theatrical roots and public speaking roles as a former MHS and BC drama club and debate team star.

An active member of the Melrose Rotary Club, Mary Beth volunteers with international high school students through the Rotary Youth Exchange and helps area students prepare for a reciprocal year abroad. This life-changing experience is part of the Rotary’s mission to develop world peace and understanding. She appreciates all the support from her wonderful husband, Michael Margolis, member of Polymnia Choral Society and Blue of a Kind, and rock star extraordinaire, as well as her two talented, fabulous daughters.

Slainte!

Melrose’s own Irish tenor Brendan Carroll was born in a small Irish town with a population of 4000 people, Roscrea, County Tipperary. Brendan sang in the local boys’ choir and performed in the local operatic society. Brendan performed traditional Irish songs throughout the County at “Muintir Na Tira” singing competitions, where he often earned first prize.

Brendan moved to Boston in 1988 with his wife, Veronica, and has been a resident of Melrose since 1991. Brendan has been performing Irish and Broadway songs across Massachusetts, including two performances with Melrose’s Polymnia Choral Society at their Irish show, “Letters from Ireland.” He is a regular performer with The Reagle Players of Greater Boston at both their Irish and Christmas shows. Brendan performed at The Harvard Club in Boston for a Roosevelt family private event, where it was specifically requested that he perform, and his program included some of the great, classic Irish songs such as “Danny Boy,” “Macushla,” “Ireland Mother Ireland,” “Mother McCree,” and many more. Brendan has performed at The Irish Festival in Canton several times.

Brendan is a board member of Polymnia Choral Society and has a seat on the board of the Melrose Messina Fund for the Arts. Brendan assumed a very challenging task in helping to organize and manage the “Letters from Ireland” concerts, and his assistance has been invaluable. In addition to sharing the reading of the “letters” with Mary Beth Margolis, Brendan will be featured in solos during the concert and will perform with his brother, PJ, who will be visiting from Ireland, and Irish Step Dancers Madeline and Hannah, who are known locally as “The Humours of Boston.” Wakefield resident Steve Francis, tenor, will also be featured as a soloist.

PJ Carroll, Brendan’s brother, is also a native of Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. He developed his passion for music during the Ballad years of the late ‘60s in Ireland. Originally learning to play the piano, he then developed a keen interest in the Piano Accordion and played Irish Music with The Barna Ceili Band. Some years later, he won two All-Ireland Gold medals in Barbershop, singing as a baritone with The Polyphonics Chorus. This year ends PJ’s 29-year association with Ballybrown Church Choir, where he sang bass for 23 years and spent six years as conductor.

PJ recently retired from a 40-year career as a Senior Investment Manager with Bank of Ireland, and he is delighted to return to Boston to continue his lifelong passion for music. “It’s a great pleasure to return to Boston to celebrate our Irish culture on this St Patrick’s Day.”

Drinks and snacks will be available and baskets of prizes will be raffled. Polymnia, a not-for-profit organization, is supported in part by grants from the Melrose Bank, Melrose Messina Fund for the Arts, and by the Melrose Cultural Council and the Wakefield Cultural Council, local agencies funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The 2018 St. Patrick’s Day production promises to be dynamic and lively, and, in the traditional manner of Polymnia’s pops concerts, the music will appeal to all ages, making an event the whole family will enjoy; and table seating will be available.

Tickets for table seating are $30 (limited quantity). Auditorium seating is $25, $20 for seniors, $15 for students, and $5 for children under 12, available online at www.polymnia.org or at Miter Biter Frame Company, 479 Main Street, Melrose.