Oslo’s Mná Choir celebrates a decade of singing and solidarity

Norway may be unique among the modern Irish diaspora for the fact that until the early 2010s, most Irish who came to Norway were women, rather than men by a ratio of two to one.

This prompted the establishment in the early 2000s of a Mná na hÉireann san Iorua social group for Irish women in and around Oslo to meet and get to know one another, which came to be known as the Mná. Then in 2016, that same group gave rise – led by Liz McNamara – to the Mná Choir.

A decade of singing

Now, in 2026, the Mná Choir are celebrating a decade of singing together. The Embassy recently caught up with the choir at their first rehearsal following the summer break to find out more about how the choir was formed, what it means to its members, and to celebrate the power of coming together in an atmosphere of a shared and sharing culture.

To give you a flavour of what that looks and sounds like, filmmaker Gavin Toomey joined us to capture the Mná at their first rehearsal of the 2026/27 season.

The Mná Choir receives support for its efforts through the Emigrant Support Programme and have performed with many big names who have come through Oslo over the years including The Chieftains and Phil Coulter.

They often work with other choirs and have held Christmas concerts at care homes in December in years past. Membership that ranges, as they say in the short film “from 28 to 80”, and is open also to non-Irish members, the choir is a great example of the global citizenship of the Irish abroad.

Follow the Mná Choir on Instagram if you want to learn more about them, and their future plans.