Glowing tributes have been paid to one of Cork’s most influential cultural figures, Ronnie O\u2019Shaughnessy, who has died following a short illness.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Shaughnessy, of Turner\u2019s Cross, was heavily involved in the music scene across Leeside, having worked as the musical director with the Monfort College of Performing Arts for more than 20 years, as well as serving as the musical director for \u2018Summer Revels\u2019 and the pantomime at Cork Opera House.<\/p>\n
Throughout her career, she also taught at the Munster Technological University (MTU) School of Music, performed with the RT\u00c9 Concert Orchestra, and appeared in various productions including The Heiress, Nunsense, Our Town, and played Vera Charles in Mame.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for Cork Opera House said they were \u201cdeeply saddened to learn of the loss of Ronnie”. \u201cShe was a hugely important figure in the history of Cork Opera House,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs musical director of our panto for many, many years, she played a significant role in its success, the impact of which can still be seen today. She was a force of nature, a hugely admired and beloved member of the Cork Opera House extended family.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer legacy in Cork remains very strong. May She Rest in Peace.”<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Monforts Singers said Ms O\u2019Shaughnessy was \u201crenowned not only for her exceptional musical gifts, but also for her glamour, her razor-sharp wit, and her unforgettable personality\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing only a short illness, her passing has come as a great shock,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cRight up to the very end, she continued to enjoy life, attending her bridge games regularly and faithfully meeting her Montfort ladies every Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cRest in peace, Ronnie. You truly were one of a kind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Actress Rebecca Allman offered her \u201cdeepest sympathy to all of Ronnie’s family at this sad time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot alone was Ronnie a fantastic musical director, but she was also an accomplished actress, and I was privileged to share the stage with her in a couple of plays in which she made each role her own,\u201d said Ms Allman. \u201cMay she be joyfully reunited with family and fellow theatre friends in Heaven.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerard Canniffe, president of the Cork Bridge Club, said Ms O’Shaughnessy \u201cdecorated our lives with her rare jewel of a voice and continued to contribute to our cultured life to the present day\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also remember her many friends here in the bridge club with whom she shared the bridge table and was held in the highest regard,\u201d said Mr Canniffe.<\/p>\n
\u201cRonnie was more than just a master of the cards; she was a master of conversation, bringing grace, wisdom, and masterful strategy to the bridge table for decades. Rest in peace to an extraordinary talent and a true legend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Shaughnessy’s Requiem Mass will take place at Christ King Church from 10.30am on Wednesday. This will be followed by her funeral at St Joseph’s Cemetery on the Tory Top Road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Glowing tributes have been paid to one of Cork’s most influential cultural figures, Ronnie O\u2019Shaughnessy, who has died…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[79,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-538157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-cork-news","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}