1st December 2005

Citation to Dr. Veronica Dunne
in respect of the
Griffith College Dublin
Professional Excellence Award.

Chairman, Distinguished Guests, Graduands, Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to give you some brief insights into the outstanding contribution made by Dr. Veronica Dunne to the development of singing and singing teaching throughout the country.

Since her childhood, Ronnie has always been active, hugely resourceful with a boundless enthusiasm for life. Her childhood friends and family members fondly remember Ronnie’s love for drama, beginning when she was 6 or 7 years of age.

At that time, Ronnie regularly got her friends to perform in plays in the garage. She had boxes for the stage, and an old sheet for the curtain. She wrote scripts and got her friends to write scripts and everyone had to do their piece under her direction!

While at school in Holy Faith Clontarf and later as a boarder in Mount Anville, Ronnie developed many interests and talents. Her love of animals and her keen ability as a horsewoman saw her jumping at show jumping events in the RDS. Such was Ronnie’s dedication, that during wartime she used to get the 6am bus to town and another bus to Rathcoole in order to practice for showjumping events.

While some people are early risers, Ronnie was always equally likely to end the day by going back into town to the Gresham for a dance until 3 in the morning. The graduands here may be used to hailing late night taxis, however, the Dublin of the 40s, without cars presented somewhat greater challenges to such an active social life.

While Veronica Dunne was later to become a household name in Ireland, Ronnie’s signing talents first had to be recognised within her own family. As the youngest of three children, Ronnie would enjoy the musical evenings held in her house on Sundays where her brother Bill (a tenor) and sister May (a mezzo soprano), would perform for relations and friends.

It was at one of these occasions when Ronnie was 12 that her wonderful voice was first recognised. Having suitably impressed the family’s “X factor” style audition panel, Ronnie was sent for lessons to Hubert Rooney the trainer of the Bell Canto singers. On hearing and working with Ronnie, Hubert Rooney was in no doubt about Ronnie’s extraordinary talent. While still a student, Ronnie made her operatic début in 1948 with the Dublin Grand Opera Society as Micaela in Carmen and Marguerite in Faust.

The famous Irish Ballad Singer Delia Murphy and her husband advised Ronnie to continue her studies in Rome. They introduced her to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who is revered for saving thousands of lives during World War II. Despite his efforts to discourage Ronnie as every hotel and pensione in Rome was requisitioned by the Armed Forces, Ronnie, being Ronnie persisted.

True to form, Ronnie met the opportunity with 100% commitment by selling her pony to help fund her studies and moving to Rome in 1946. Monsignor O’Flaherty greeted her with the words “Do you see that plane? If I catch you with an Italian man you will be back on the next flight home – welcome to Rome.”

Amazingly Ronnie managed to avoid this deportation for a whole 5 years and on her return to Ireland married Peter Mc Carthy in 1953 with whom she had two children during their long and successful marriage,

As a singer, Veronica Dunne was to become a true Irish star of the opera. In 1952, performing on the very day she arrived having traveled from Sligo to Milan, Ronnie won the Concorso Lirico Milano, against 200 sopranos In 1955, Ronnie toured the US with Kitty O’Callaghan’s festival of Irish Singers performing 40 concerts and two sell-out performances at Carnegie Hall.

During her career, Ronnie was to perform leading operatic roles as Mimi in La Boheme, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Micaela in Carmen, Elvira in Don Giovanni, Tosca and many more besides. These productions were performed in the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sadlers Wells, London, Welsh National Opera Cardiff and throughout Ireland giving 77 performances in 13 different operas for the Dublin Grand Opera Society.

I have no doubt that many of the guests here today will have wonderful personal memories of Ronnie’s performances during her career.

Despite the relative youth of many of our graduands, the world for all of us here today continues to be enriched by Ronnie’s direct and ongoing contribution to singing. As a renowned and gifted signing teacher, Ronnie’s passion for identifying and supporting excellence is as keen today as it ever was. Thanks to her direction and support, Irish and worldwide audiences enjoy the talents of her students, who amongst others include:

The Three Tenors: Finbarr Wright; Ronan Tynan; Anthony Kearns
Suzanne Murphy
Angela Feeney
Patricia Bardon
Andrew Murphy and many, many more.

In recognition of her efforts, in 1987, Veronica Dunne received an Honorary Doctorate from University College Dublin, and The Royal Dublin Society made her an Honorary Life Member in 1988.

Since the Leinster School of Music & Drama joined Griffith College in 1998, we have had the pleasure of knowing Ronnie and watching how she operates. Like her revered friend the Monsignor, she continues to put the interests of her students and their careers before all else. If that means giving them daily singing lessons, free accommodation in her home, sometimes for months at a time, buying them tuxedos for performances, then that’s simply what has to be done.

In the words of her students, Ronnie continues to be “mother”, “father”, “mentor” and “minder” … an extraordinary woman with a big heart. Thanks to her tireless efforts, aspiring Irish singers now enjoy funding to pursue their studies from the Friends of the Vocal Arts, a body she helped co-found.

While it may be a few years since Ronnie organised her initial plays in the garage, we can confirm that the self same Ronnie Dunne is very much in operation today. For our part, we know that if Ronnie wants something for one of her students that, like those in the play, everyone has to do their piece … under her direction!

In summary, Dr. Veronica Dunne is an Irish National Treasure. An outstanding performer in her own right, a gifted teacher and a truly generous and gracious woman. I’d like to conclude with a line from Tosca that gives some insight into her character

Vissi d‘arte, vissi d‘amore, non feci mai male ad anima viva!...

I lived for art, I lived for love; Never did I harm a living creature!...

I call upon the Chairman of the college, Diarmuid Hegarty to confer the Professional Excellence Award on Dr. Veronica Dunne.

Citation given by Tomás Mac Eochagáin at the graduation ceremony in the Royal Hospital Kilmainhan on December 5th 2005.

Above - Dr. Veronica Dunne being presented with the Professional Excellence Award by Chairman of Griffith College, Diarmuid Hegarty.