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In the 1940s the seeds of great social change were sown in Ireland; Irish society began to “feel the full force of the cold blast of social change”. In 1940s Ireland, the State gave no assistance to the out-of-school education of young people. The need to provide social and recreational activities for young people was enormous. The Jesuit Community responded to this need by setting up Our Lady’s Boys Club in 1941, which began to provide organised recreational activities to the youth of Shantalla, Bohermore, Claddagh and ‘the West’.

On November 25, 1951, the Galway Literary and Debating Society hosted a lecture by Dr Louis Evers on the composer Verdi. In seconding the motion of thanks, the Patrician Brother, Bro Cuthbert, said: “The present seems a fit time for Galway to step into the musical world. It would be a fine tribute to the subject of tonight’s lecture if a musical society were formed”. The Patrician Brothers' Past Pupils' Union took up this idea, and on February 29, 1952, the Patrician Choral Society was formed.

On this day, February 29, 1952, a meeting was held in the Bish the purpose of which was, “That a choral society titled the Patrician Choral Society under the auspices of the Patrician Brothers Past-Pupils’ Union be here and now formed.” The motion was proposed, seconded and passed unanimously. Jack Browne was elected President, Thomas Lydon as Vice-President, Jack Doherty and Brother Cuthbert as directors and Jack Begley as Treasurer.

The first musical production by a Galway Musical Society in the 20th century was ‘The Messiah’ performed by the Galway Orchestral Society in 1902 and we know, they also performed in the Court Theatre in 1903. In 1907, the Technical Choral Society was formed under the baton of Clement Leaper, headmaster of the Technical School. In 1924, Miss Mai Fogarty produced ‘The Bohemian Girl’ and later ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ but after that there was no notable musical society until the 1950’s.