Focus

Just Cooney Just Cooney Paul O'Connor With personal perspectives from Martin Hayes, Christy Moore, Tony MacMahon, Luka Bloom and Iarla Ó Lionáird, Paul O'Connor attempts to take in the vista-like contribution that the enigmatic Steve Cooney has made to Irish traditional music these past thirty years.
Just Inside the Green Line Just Inside the Green Line Tim Rutherford-Johnson Tim Rutherford-Johnson discusses one of Europe's most unusual music festivals, which takes place for the fourth time this year in Cyprus.
Forty-Five Years of the Armagh Pipers' Club Forty-Five Years of the Armagh Pipers' Club Fintan Vallely Brian and Eithne Vallely have produced a book to mark forty-five years of the Armagh Pipers' Club containing a visual and written history of the Club as well as a collection of personal reflections and essays on its origins and impact.
What's New? What's New? Adam Harper Adam Harper examines whether the concept of 'new music' makes sense in the twenty-first century, and discusses music's 'infinite' possibilities.
Breaking Out of a Mental Jail Breaking Out of a Mental Jail Joe Paxton Joe Paxton explores how the basic processes of music can help people with autism communicate through improvisatory music therapy.
Burning in the Smallest of Things Burning in the Smallest of Things Peter Rosser Peter Rosser attends Nest, Belfast's contribution to the Cultural Olympiad, which uses donated everyday objects to build an oratorio and an installation.
Irish Adventures of a Waterboy Irish Adventures of a Waterboy Mike Scott From his memoir Adventures of a Waterboy, published recently by Lilliput Press, Mike Scott here describes his early encounters with Irish traditional music, and how the fateful move to Spiddal and 'the Celtic dreamtime' came about.
An Olympic Lament An Olympic Lament Ita Beausang At the 1948 London Olympic Games, when the competition still awarded medals for music and other arts, 'gentle Miss Ina Boyle' narrowly missed out on a bronze medal. Ita Beausang traces the story of the composer from Enniskerry and her as yet unperformed work.
Out of My Element Out of My Element Dan Trueman American composer and musician Dan Trueman reflects on the Irish music scene, and Dave Holden of I Draw Slow considers Trueman's album CrissCross, a recent collaboration with Brittany Haas.
Dimmerswitch Dimmerswitch Anna Murray Composer Daniel Figgis' new work 'dimmerswitch' is the result of a commission by The Crash Ensemble. He explains the ideas behind the work to Anna Murray ahead of its premiere at the Galway Arts Festival on 19 July.