Description

WALTER MCNALLY (SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 1884 – 1945)

 

 

 

 

Walter McNally was an Irish-American baritone, operatic entrepreneur, concert artist and theatre manager who played an important role in the development and popularisation of opera in Ireland during the early twentieth century.

He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1884, to parents from County Mayo. In 1906, the family returned to Ireland and settled in Westport. McNally later married Molly Staunton, and the couple initially emigrated to the United States. After several years in America, they returned to County Mayo with their children and established a guesthouse and public house in Clonbur, near Ashford Castle.

Determined to develop his natural baritone voice, McNally obtained financial support for vocal studies in Dublin and became a pupil of the distinguished teacher Dr. Vincent O’Brien. In 1915, he won the gold medal in the baritone class at the Feis Ceoil. O’Brien recognised his exceptional potential and encouraged him to pursue a professional singing career. McNally soon became a popular concert performer, admired for the richness, strength and expressive character of his voice, as well as for his handsome appearance and commanding stage presence.

In 1918, McNally established his own opera company, generally known as the Walter McNally Grand Opera Company. One of its principal aims was to provide opportunities for Irish singers and to demonstrate that an Irish ensemble could successfully perform the established operatic repertoire. The company was formed partly from the earlier Brisan Opera Company and initially presented concert performances and abbreviated or “potted” versions of operas. Its first season took place at the Empire Theatre in Dublin and included works by William Vincent Wallace and Julius Benedict.

The McNally Company soon developed a broader and more ambitious repertoire. Among the operas presented were The Lily of Killarney, Maritana, The Bohemian Girl, Faust, Lurline, Il trovatore, La traviata, Rigoletto, Ernani and Pagliacci. McNally appeared in many leading baritone roles and was particularly admired for his dramatic interpretation of Tonio in Pagliacci, Valentine in Faust and Don Carlo in Ernani. The company included such notable Irish singers as Harry O’Dempsey, William J. Lemass, Kathleen McCully, Florrie Ryan and Joan Burke, while Vincent O’Brien frequently served as musical director and conductor.

The company enjoyed considerable success in Dublin and toured extensively throughout Ireland, appearing in cities including Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, Belfast and Derry. Its performances attracted large audiences, and contemporary critics praised the quality of its choruses and the achievement of presenting grand opera with predominantly Irish artists. McNally’s concerts also proved highly popular, combining operatic excerpts with Irish songs and ballads.

In 1920, McNally travelled to Italy to continue his vocal studies and to become acquainted with Italian operatic traditions and methods of opera management. Although he was already in his mid-thirties and had a young family, he quickly learned Italian and obtained engagements in Italian opera houses. In 1922, a report from Italy described him as a gifted operatic singer whose dramatic abilities promised an important future. During this period, he was engaged to sing such roles as Scarpia in Tosca and the title role in Rigoletto.

After returning to Ireland, McNally continued to organise concerts and opera productions. In 1922, he invited the celebrated Irish soprano Margaret Burke Sheridan to appear in a major concert at Dublin’s Theatre Royal, helping to bring the internationally renowned singer before an Irish audience. He also presented performances of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and continued to promote young Irish vocal talent.

In 1924, McNally travelled to the United States with his wife and youngest daughter for a series of concert appearances. While in America, he was engaged to perform in The Student Prince in Chicago. He later returned permanently to Ireland, where his growing interest in the cinema industry led him to establish and manage several cinemas. John McCormack officially opened McNally’s Savoy Cinema in Galway.

In 1927, at the age of forty-three, McNally retired from public singing. Although his voice remained in good condition, he chose to devote himself to the cinema business, which ultimately proved more financially successful than his musical activities. Nevertheless, he retained a deep interest in opera and continued to encourage young singers. Among those he assisted was the Irish tenor Hubert Valentine, for whom McNally arranged an audition with Vincent O’Brien and an early public appearance in Dublin.

Walter McNally died in August 1945, aged fifty-five. His death was widely reported in the Irish press, which remembered him as a colourful and influential personality whose career had encompassed opera, concert performance, theatre management and the cinema industry. Although his recordings do not fully convey the power and warmth of his voice, his reputation endured through the memories of his colleagues and through the achievements of the opera company that bore his name.

Walter McNally occupies an important place in the history of Irish opera. As a singer, organiser and entrepreneur, he helped establish a viable tradition of Irish operatic performance at a time when opportunities for native singers were limited. His company brought opera to audiences throughout Ireland, promoted numerous Irish artists and demonstrated that grand opera could be presented successfully by an Irish ensemble.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Come to the fair Columbia 33228-F W108580 December 1927 New York, New York

God save Ireland Columbia 33204-F W108284 July 1927 New York, New York

Kathleen Mavourneen (F. Nicholls Crouch) Columbia 33217-F W108296 August 1927 New York, New York

Open the door softly Columbia 33217-F W108297 August 1927 New York, New York

The croppy boy Columbia 33166-F W107859 May 1927 New York, New York

The Irishman Columbia 33228-F W108577 December 1927 New York, New York