 Their first major event was an RTÉ TV showing of Gounod's "St. Cecilia Mass" on her name day, 22 November 1971.O'Brien conducted with soloists Bene McAteer, Brendan Cavanagh and Gerald Duffy.Haydn's Heiligmesse and Missa in Tempore Belli followed, but a December 1972 performance in St. James's Church of Antonín Dvořák's Requiem Mass was a turning point in the choir's career.