Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of us in attendance at the Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre last Saturday had a great night watching the story of the von Trapp family climbing every mountain in The Sound of Music. It was an absolutely incredible production and the children in the cast were outstanding. The dedication and commitment of every member of the cast was clear, from the age of six or seven upwards. The youngest member came from Tullamore. There were people from Tuam and Galway city coming to rehearsals in Ballinasloe. I congratulate the cast and production crew. It is a great achievement for the town to be able to put on such a show. The people of the town and region showed overwhelming support, with sell-out concerts every night and in the matinee slots. Somebody said to me in passing that the quality was such that the play could have been showing on Broadway. The quality of the music, the singing and the cast was that high. Small towns can do great things and this is just one example of it. I acknowledge the work of the Ballinasloe Musical Society, under the leadership of Frances Leahy, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is hoping to have an event celebrating it in October. We are there to support arts, music and heritage in our local and regional areas and this is a great example of it.