by Billy Andrews
Kilmacud Musical & Dramatic Society was founded in 1982, some 40 years ago. It came about through the efforts of a small group of local people, led by Nancy Kavanagh, who succeeded in getting community support – by literally knocking on every door in the Kilmacud area and its surrounds.
The Society’s formative years were financially challenging, and it would not have survived without the determination and resilience of Nancy and her co-founders. They also had to deal with a number of ‘dramatic’ events along the way. For instance, on one occasion, rain poured in through a leaking roof and showered the cast on stage during a performance! On another occasion, on opening night, the cast were about to go on stage when the lights went out! Luckily, a local electrician was soon found to save the day!
In the early 2000’s, the society decided to concentrate on musical productions and so became simply, Kilmacud Musical Society (KMS). Thankfully, despite occasional blips along the way (e.g. bad weather during show week and the impact of Covid-19), KMS continues to prosper to this day. For this we are grateful to our wonderful members over the years and, particularly, to our loyal followers. With your support, we have been able to put on wonderful shows like Showboat, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Oliver, Chess, and Fiddler on the Roof – for which we won the Best Chorus Award, at the annual national AIMS Awards!
Of course, these shows would not have been as successful without the excellent Directors, Musical Directors and Choreographers we were blessed to have on board. Sadly, we lost Nancy and another esteemed member, Ray Barry, during Covid. And this year, we lost our loyal Patron, Paul Flynn. May they rest in peace; we miss them.
Nancy used to say: “The best way to make friends and live a happy life is to be part of a dramatic or musical society.” And thanks to the actions and commitment of those first members, as well as those who came after, Kilmacud Musical Society has nurtured enduring friendships and given great joy to countless people over the past forty years. We will be eternally grateful to all those who participated on committees and who worked hard to build the good name our society enjoys today. We pledge to continue working hard to maintain the respect of our valued followers, both locally and much further afield. So, rest assured, ‘the show goes on’ and, hopefully, will continue to do so for many years to come!
Kilmacud Musical Society 