Saint Colman's students edifying meeting with music legend

NOT many 12 year old guitarists can attest to having meet with one of contemporary music's most influential and entertaining performers, however this is just the case for two students of Saint Colman’s college Newry. 

 Pádraig  O'Higgins and Cuan McMurray along with musical colleague Sam Rice , all of whom are proud pupils of  music teacher Mona Owen, were afforded an audience with none other than Ed Sheeran  in the 3Arena Dublin after coming top of the class in the Niall Rice Music Awards. 

   To act as an immortalisation of their meeting with musical royalty each member of this talented trio were gifted with a high end Sheeran-Lowden guitar by the eponymous artist which they can carry with them  as they journey along every step they take to becoming just as famous as their idol.

    As gifted guitarist Pádraig explained the guitar which he received is an outworking of a collaboration between the edifying legend himself and Downpatrick based guitar maker George Lowden, who have crafted one of the most top of the range instruments any musicians of their age could hope to own.

Sheeran-Lowden Guitar

“Meeting Ed Sheeran was class” said Pádraig.

“It was an amazing experience, he is good craic. He was very kind saying well guys how are you. When were lined up to go into the room he just walked past and said well guys and we were all shocked because it was Ed Sheeran just walking past. 

“He gave us Sheeran by Lowden guitars. They are Lowden guitars. George Lowden from Downpatrick made guitars and then Ed Sheeran collaborated with him to make guitars for children. Now they are called Sheeran by Lowden. They are semi acoustic guitars, you can plug them into a speaker and make them louder.   

“He signed all the guitars for us, along with the new ones as well.”

Collaboration

As Pádraig’s music instructor Mona Owens explained the Sheeran-Lowden guitar would come as an outworking Ed Sheeran himself had with Down based guitar manufacturer George Lowden, with the West Yorkshire born musician aspiring to own one of these most exquisite works of craftsmanship since he was just 14 years  of age .    

  “Whenever Ed Sheeran was 14 years of age he wanted to buy a Lowden guitar but he could not afford it”, explained Mona.

“So whenever he became famous he decided to get in contact with George Lowden and asked George to make a smaller Lowden guitar. This is how the Sheeran by Lowden guitar was made. “When I saw this I got in contact with George Lowden writing him a letter and asked him would he consider donating a guitar if I ran a competition with all my guitar students.

 ”I got two adjudicators. One was my nephew Dr Finbar McGrady. He has a skin clinic in Camlough as well as the lead guitarist with the Raised on Rock band, which is a brilliant band.

“My other adjudicator was Eoin Flynn who was a past pupil of mine in Sacred Heart in Dundrum. He won the Niall Rice Award. Niall was a nephew of mine. Sadly Niall died but George Lowden made a beautiful award, the Niall Rice Music Award for my guitarists and Eoin was one of those recipients with his twin brother Ciaran.

“I chose both Dr Finbar McGrady and Eoin Flynn as adjudicators because they knew about music. So I then with parents permission got a video of the students playing the song Perfect by Ed Sheeran. I taught them this. It was all the students playing the one song and this one song was what the adjudicators judged on.

“These video recordings were put out to Dr Finbar McGrady and Eoin Flynn. They were the adjudicators and without them it would not have happened. They were busy doing their own work however they took the time to do this for me.

“They both came up with the same decision, that being the first winner of the Sheeran by Lowden guitar would be Padraig O'Higgin’s from Leitrim. Then when I arrived to lift the guitar from George Lowden I said that it was a joint second as there was very little between Cuan McMurray and Sam Rice. George left me in the office, went and phoned Ed Sheeran in America and both of them decided to award the two boys with a guitar each. That is the background to the journey so far.

“I wanted the boys to meet Ed Sheeran in person. This is why I got in contact with George, to see if he would email Ed and within half an hour of emailing Ed in California, he emailed back and said to invite Mona, her three students and parents to a meet and great with Ed Sheeran in the 3Arena in Dublin.

“I am absolutely delighted, I couldn't be happier. I visualised this happening. It has happened and makes me feel great to know that they have reached this level”