On the Town: Christmas began in earnest with the first notes of the annual carol service in Maynooth's College Chapel. The voices of three choirs merged this week to sing carols from plainchant to works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Tavener, all under the direction of Prof Gerard Gillen.
President McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, attended the event, after arriving back only hours earlier from a visit to the Irish troops working in Liberia. The congregation of dignitaries, which included representatives from eight embassies, was greeted by Monsignor Dermot Farrell, president of St Patrick's College, and Prof John Hughes, president of NUI Maynooth. Also among the audience were Tim O'Connor, joint secretary of the North/South Ministerial Council; the recently retired Prof John Coolahan; former taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald; artist Tom Ryan RHA; and Sister Elizabeth Maxwell, head of the Presentation Sisters.
The Christmas story "is always a story that challenges the status quo," Monsignor Farrell told the gathering. He stressed the importance of remembering "truly to bring every person home".