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music · Friday 25 September 2026 · 8:00pm 
An Evening of Choral Connections
At The Burnavon · Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
At The Burnavon · Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Four community choirs take to the stage at the Burnavon on the last Friday of September for a fundraising concert that puts local voices front and centre. An Evening of Choral Connections draws together singers of different ages and backgrounds - from youth performers to seasoned community groups - for an evening described as one of music, laughter and connection. All proceeds go to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, a Newry-based charity that helps bereaved families bring loved ones home from abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances. It is the kind of night where the cause adds weight to every song.
The line-up brings together four distinct groups: The Hub Community Choir, Cookstown Youth Choir, St. Philomena Choir and The Rural Melody Ladies. Between them, they cover music spanning through the ages - the exact programme is not published in advance, but community choral concerts in this mould tend to mix classical sacred pieces, traditional Irish song, and popular favourites that pull the audience in. The format is a sing-along, so expect moments when the crowd is invited to join in rather than just sit back and listen. Carol Doey comperes the evening, keeping things moving and giving it a warm, local feel. The Burnavon seats several hundred and has good acoustics for choral work - it is the main performing arts theatre for Mid Ulster and regularly hosts professional touring productions alongside community events like this one.
Cookstown sits in the centre of Northern Ireland, roughly equidistant from Belfast, Derry and Armagh. By road it is about 45 minutes south-west of Belfast via the M1 and A29, and about 50 minutes from Derry via the A6 and A29. Translink operates bus services from Belfast and Derry into Cookstown, though evening return times are worth checking before you travel. The Burnavon is on Burn Road, close to the town centre. The venue has free on-site parking, which is worth noting for a Friday night event with an 8pm start.
Cookstown is a market town with one of the longest and widest main streets in Ireland - the layout dates from a planned town design in the seventeenth century and gives the place a distinctive character. There is more to see in Cookstown and across Co. Tyrone.
Heading to The Burnavon in Cookstown? Tyrone has plenty more to see. Read the Cookstown area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.