Call for home permanent memorial to Mayo opera icon  

A permanent home should be found for memorabilia connected to opera icon Margaret Burke-Sheridan, writes Keith Bourke.

Castlebar councillor Ger Deere told last week's monthly meeting of the authority that a dedicated room in the former Imperial Hotel in Castlebar should house the collection.

Cllr Deere said author Ann Chambers, who is an authority on Burke-Sheridan, boasts memorabilia connected to the decorated diva and would like to see it go on display.

"We really need to look at the Imperial and a dedicated room for memorabilia like that. We really need a home for Margaret Burke-Sheridan who is an iconic figure worldwide," said the Fine Gael councillor

Margaret Burke-Sheridan, affectionately known as 'La Sheridan', was one of Ireland’s first great international opera stars and a world renowned interpreter of Puccini. Born in Castlebar in 1889, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London before making her operatic debut in Italy, where she became celebrated for her powerful interpretations of Puccini’s heroines. Her performances at La Scala and other renowned opera houses won her worldwide acclaim, making her one of the most remarkable Irish sopranos of the 20th century. At the height of her career, she was offered the title of Papal Countess by Pope Pius XI, who had heard her singing when he was Bishop of Milan.

Burke-Sheridan was recently celebrated with a town-wide trail during Culture Night in Castlebar. She was born and raised in a house at the Mall, just a short distance from the former Imperial Hotel.