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Choral Composition

Comhghairdeas ó chroí to Donnchadh Mac Aodha on winning the Seán Ó Riada composition competition recently. I’m honoured that he chose my poem ‘Babel’ for his choral composition. In their citation, the judges said:

“The contemporary relevance of Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh’s Irish-language poem is striking, with an unsettling sense of lofty ideals soured by arrogance and pride. The composer’s musical setting reflects this and is both sensitive and expressively impactful. The phrases inflect upwards, yearning for something, but falter in the (quite deliberate) absence of harmonic stability. The effect is sobering and captivating. It has a distinct musical identity and shows great fluency in its approach to choral writing.”

Looking forward to hearing ‘Babel’ sung at the Cork International Choral Festival in May!

St Andrews Writer in Residence

Very excited to be off to St Andrews in Scotland shortly to do a stint as Writer in Residence in the School of Language there. Information on individual events can be found here. Sincere thanks to all involved in bringing me over!

Muldoon’s Picnic 10th Anniversary, New York

Next month, I’ll be traveling to New York to read at the 10th Anniversary of Muldoon’s Picnic at the Irish Arts Center in NYC. There will be four nights of events in honour of the occasion and I’m delighted to be part of it. I’ll be performing on Thursday 10th October with Patrick Radden Keefe and Steve Earle.

Wednesday, October 9
Film & Conversation
Paul Muldoon: Laoithe is Liricí (A Life in Lyrics)

Thursday, October 10
Steve Earle
Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh
Patrick Radden Keefe

Friday, October 11
Jean Hanff Korelitz
Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Kevin Young

Saturday, October 12
Billy Collins
Min Jin Lee
Stew

RTÉ Radio 1: Say a Song

Doireann Ní Ghlacáin approached me some time ago about the Say a Song Project which explores the rich and vibrant sean-nós tradition. I enjoy sneaking references to sean-nós songs into my poems now and then, so I was curious about her proposal. She suggested I take on Molaí Ní Mhaoileoin, a song once recorded by Sorcha Ní Ghuairim. The resulting English translation plus an interpretation of the original by the mighty Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin can be heard on the RTÉ Radio website here. Well worth listening to the entire series and keep an eye out for a further dimension to the project involving visual artists!

Muldoon’s Picnic 17 May 2024

Very excited to be among the performers at Muldoon’s Picnic in The Pavillion in Dún Laoghaire on Friday 17 May, alongside Paul Muldoon, Roddy Doyle, Liz Nugent, and Hugh Buckley.

Here’s how Poetry Ireland describes the show:

Devised and developed by the acclaimed Irish poet Paul Muldoon, the show is hosted by Muldoon and house band Rogue Oliphant – a collective of musicians and composers including Chris Harford (Three Colors, Band of Changes), Cáit O’Riordan (The Pogues), David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, The Alpha Band), Ray Kubian (Electric Six, Chris Forsyth) and Warren Zanes (Del Fuegos). 

The title Muldoon’s Picnic refers to a popular 19th-century New York vaudeville act, which inspired the New York based Paul Muldoon to begin hosting these carefully blended evenings of literature and music back in 2014.  Paul Muldoon describes Muldoon’s Picnic as a direct response to that ancient impulse to perform, to share, to make one’s own amusement:

“It’s one of our most basic instincts; to listen to a song, listen to a poem. Even in this era when people have their noses stuck in their tablets, it still works.” 

Produced by Poetry Ireland and supported by an Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Arts Council of Northern Ireland Touring Grant.