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!