OUR STORY by Enchiriadis founder Dr Marion Doherty Hayden

In 1985 I founded a youth chamber choir in Malahide, giving them the name Enchiriadis, which was taken from 9th century manuscripts on polyphonic music called Musica Enchiriadis and Scolica Enchiriadis. This chamber choir went on to win numerous awards at festivals in Ireland, UK and across Europe and led me to set up an Enchiriadis Junior Youth Choir in 1990. It seemed natural to explore the possibility of forming an adult choir and so in 1994, I founded Enchiriadis Treis, adding the word Treis to acknowledge the third Enchiriadis choir emanating from the Malahide region. Not knowing where this new enterprise would take us, we began weekly rehearsals in Malahide Community School, where the choir has held rehearsals ever since. Word got around and more and more people wanted to join.

The choir’s first summer concert was on 25 May 1995 in St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. By then, we were gaining confidence and, being a great believer that if you set a challenge people rise to it, I booked the National Concert Hall for 25 May 1996. 

Marion with the founder members still in Enchiriadis

 We made our NCH debut with a programme that included Fauré’s Requiem and Haydn’s Te Deum. It was the first of 15 performances to date in that venue. I’m sure there are more to come.

Over the past 30 years, both during my tenure and following my retirement as Musical Director, I am delighted that the Enchiriadis choir has continued to develop and thrive. I am proud to know that it has established a secure reputation among the leading choral groups in Ireland, performing in multiple prestigious settings such as the NCH, The Helix, the Convention Centre and other concert halls in Dublin, in addition to venues in many other cities in Ireland and overseas, and it has made itself a firm favourite in Malahide for its local concerts in Seabury Church. But Enchiriadis is not just about the music – inspiring and enjoyable as that is.

The choir is also a community within which lasting memories and enduring friendships are built. Its longevity bears testimony to the strong musical and emotional bonds that have developed over the decades. It is also great to see that so many of the founder members are still a very active and involved part of the community that is Enchiriadis