Ennio

My Mum gave me the generous gift of a ticket to see the maestro himself, Ennio Morricone, conduct a stellar orchestra and choir on the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. It poured rain until the moment the music started, then the skies miraculously cleared, leaving a beautiful rainbow. It stayed dry for the rest of the night.

It was a spectacular concert. Just to have the opportunity to see such a legend in action, even at the ripe age of 84, was amazing. The orchestra played medleys from several of his most famous movie soundtracks.

The standouts for me were, perhaps unsurprisingly, 'The Mission', 'The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly', and 'Cinema Paradiso'. The latter brought me to tears, as I have watched that movie so many times. I studied it for English in my Leaving Certificate exams and used to listen to the CD soundtrack when I was studying.

As we were leaving the concert venue, we received the wonderful news that my sister-in-law had given birth to a healthy baby girl a half an hour earlier. I'm an auntie for the fifth time!