Most people recognise the shamrock as a symbol of Ireland. Fewer know the story behind it — the moment when Saint Patrick is said to have lifted the three-leafed plant from the ground to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity to the High King of Ireland. Even fewer have ever heard that moment brought to life in music.
When music lovers hear the word oratorio, Handel’s Messiah often comes to mind. But Saint Patrick at Tara, a major yet largely forgotten work of Irish sacred music, has remained mostly unheard outside Ireland. Composed around 1870 by John William Glover, then organist of Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral, the oratorio dramatises Saint Patrick’s bold encounter with High King Laoghaire at the Hill of Tara in County Meath around the year 433.
The Central Victorian Irish Association’s 2026 St Patrick’s Day Concert will open with a re-enactment of St Patrick’s confrontation with the King; the scene capturing the dramatic confrontation between faith and power, and the quiet eloquence of a shamrock held aloft.
Audiences will experience something genuinely rare: an Australian première of an excerpt from the sacred oratorio Saint Patrick at Tara. It is almost certain that an excerpt from this oratorio, let alone the whole oratorio, has never been performed in Australia. The Irish Association’s John Clancy has been informed by a fellow author colleague in Dublin that there is currently much interest in Dublin about the history of the Pro-Cathedral. The latter has also informed John that few people in Ireland are aware of this oratorio or the career of John William Glover.
The three principal roles of Saint Patrick, the High King, and the narrator / royal harpist are being sung by three highly experienced singers, namely Bryan Milne, Frederick Kelly, and Meryl Wilkinson, respectively. They will be backed by a chorus of about eight singers, most of whom sing with the Bendigo Chorale and the Bendigo Chamber Choir. The Artistic Director of the excerpt and of the concert is John Clancy, organist at Saint Therese's Church, Kennington.
The concert will celebrate Irish culture in all its richness, featuring traditional and contemporary Irish songs (including some in the Irish language), harp, classical guitar, Irish dancers, and special guests, Saoirse, who will delight the audience with their performance of Irish songs, traditional and more modern, old Irish airs, and foot-tapping melodies.
“This year’s concert includes something truly special,” says Association Vice-President John Clancy. “We believe this may well be the first time an excerpt from Saint Patrick at Tara has ever been performed in Australia.”
The Saint Patrick’s Day Concert will be held on Tuesday, 17 March at 7.30 pm at Bendigo South East College Theatre, Ellis Street, Flora Hill.
Tickets are available via TryBooking, with limited tickets possibly available at the door from 7.00 pm.
Prices: Adult $20, Concession $18, Children (17 and under) $5.
Image above: Irish Band, Saoirise.