Cobh and Mechelen

Left to right: Professor Koen Cosaert, Director of the Royal Carillon School Jef Denyn, Irish Ambassador Eamonn MacAodha, Adrian & Elizabeth Gebruers.

The strong links between Cobh and Mechelen were celebrated at the Flemish city’s annual Carillon Day this year on Saturday 27 April. A capacity audience at the Cultural Centre which included the Irish Ambassador to Belgium, Eamonn Mac Aodha, and members of the city corporation enjoyed a varied programme of carillon, choral and other music with a strong Irish flavour. This was followed by a video presentation on Cobh given by Professor Koen Cosaert, Director of the Royal Carillon School Jef Denyn where both the present and previous carillonneurs of St Colman’s Cathedral had studied.

At the conclusion of this very enjoyable occasion, Adrian Gebruers presented Professor Cosaert with a rare nineteenth-century manuscript of Flemish carillon music which had belonged to his father. This will now be placed in the School’s archives where it will be available for research.   Several of those present at the Carillon Day happily recalled participating in the World Carillon Congress in Cobh and UCC in the summer of 2002.