Ronnie (79) was a world-famous soprano in the early part of her career, and then began her renowned teaching career, training many of the country's leading voices. Her husband Peter passed away 11 years ago, and she has two children, Peter and Judy.

May lives in Limerick, and has three children, Marie, Carolyn and John. She is a talented painter, and her late husband Michael, a paediatrician, passed away three years ago.

The preliminary heats of the 5th Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition will run from 19 to 23 January in the Freemasons' Hall, Dublin 2, a black-tie dinner will be held in Dublin Castle on 24 January and the final competition will take place in the National Concert Hall on Thursday 25 January (www. vdis competition. com) Ronnie on May I was a torment to May as a child because she was four years older than me, and she was a goody-goody and I was completely wild - I should have been a boy. Mammy adored her, not that I had any objections, but I always had to do what May said, which drove me crazy. Everything had to be perfect for May, and still does, and I was a devil. I just loved life and used to climb trees and was really into sports - I adored animals and wasn't into ladylike things at all, but May was a real lady. I used to pinch her clothes all of the time, and there'd be murder. I used to have to stand at the door, and she'd make sure that everything down to my underwear was not hers - it was like going through the scanner at the airport today!

May has had a very interesting life because she spent a lot of time in South Africa and lived in Baghdad for a few years, although I wasn't worried about her because she had great friends there.

We're each other's best friends really - she's always there for me and is the one I depend on. If I have a problem, I call her for advice, and she says, "Take 24 hours to think about it before you open your mouth again!"

We go on holidays to Italy together and always have great fun, and for divilment, because she can't speak Italian, I used to say to the waiters, "Please look after that lady well because she's over 90, " so they would treat her like a queen! They simply adored her because her egg has to be boiled just right and her tea has to be perfect, and the Italians really respect people like that!

Both of our husbands have passed away, and we were lucky to have each other for support. May is an excellent mother, and she's very good-hearted and kind to everyone. We've very different personalities really - I'm more active, and am always on the go, and May is quieter. She loves to paint and she's fantastic at it. She specialises in landscapes and has started to do portraits recently, and they're very good. I've loads of her paintings.

We've really gotten to know one another better over the years, and I'd be lost without her. I think our relationship is like wine, it becomes mellower as it gets older, and we really love one another. May has a wonderful memory, and it's great to have someone who can remember back to our very happy childhood.

She's a marvellous sister, and please God she'll be spared to me for a long time to come.

Ronnie was full of life as a child, and I was much quieter, and while we had our differences on occasions, like all sisters, we were always very fond of one another.

Ronnie was wild and had great energy, and she did exactly what she wanted to do - she was very like our father Bill in that way, whereas I was more like our mother Jo. We didn't know Ronnie could sing until she was about 11. We always had musical evenings in our house, and one evening our brother Bill, who is 10 years older than me, happened to say that we should ask Ronnie to sing. She stood up, and opened her mouth, and we all sat there with our mouths open when we heard her voice! She went to study with Hubert Rooney after that, and then on to Italy.

I think Ronnie's wonderful, and I used to pinch myself when I saw her up on stage at the beginning. I was a bit anxious for her at first, but I soon learned to sit back and enjoy it - she was really very talented and I was very proud of her.

She's a great mum, and devoted to her family, but it was hard for her flying back and forwards for work when she had children.

I was married to a very quiet man, and we raised our family in Limerick so my daily life didn't cross all that much with Ronnie's. She was married to a very nice man too, and they always made us feel very welcome when we came to visit them. I'm very fond of her children, and my children love their Auntie Ronnie too.

Ronnie and I talk on the phone very regularly, and when I go to stay with her in Dublin, I stay for a few weeks at a time, which makes up for the time spent apart.

She's a great sister, and always shows marvellous concern for me, and I think we're very lucky to have one another.

She's a complete workaholic though!

She never stops and I don't know how she keeps going, but she couldn't live without her work - she just loves it. She's had amazing successes with her students, but she puts her life into them. If people only knew the things she has done to help students who were struggling in the past - as far as taking them in to live with her in her own home.

Ronnie would do anything for anybody, and is a very kind and open sort of person who really genuinely loves people. I often say that when she dies, Peter will throw open his arms to her, and say, "Come home Ronnie, we're delighted to see you!"