Nicky Cleary

From a very young age Nicky Cleary was a great collector of 78 rpm records, which were sold locally by M. J. Collins’s record shop. Another opera buff was Séamus O’Dwyer, who would encourage and advise Nicky, and give him direction as to the right choice of record. In 1954, Nicky started work backstage as a Festival volunteer. He speaks about the dedication and outstanding loyalty they all felt towards Dr Tom Walsh. He later became stage manager and he describes his experiences both with the Opera Festival and the Light Opera Society. He speaks about the ghostly presence in the Theatre Royal, and his own personal experience of coming in contact with it.