Listen to a track from Charlie Lennon’s New 1916 Suite

Mary Kennedy of RTÉ, composer Charlie Lennon and Antoine Ó Coileáin of Gael Linn at the launch of ‘Áille na hÁille’ at the Unitarian Church, Dublin.

Listen to a track from Charlie Lennon’s New 1916 Suite

New album features Finghin Collins, Elizabeth Cooney, Ronan Browne and more.

Fiddle-player and composer Charlie Lennon has just released a new suite of 1916-inspired compositions on the Gael Linn label.

The suite, titled Áille na hÁille – A Terrible Beauty: A Suite in Honour of the Heroes of 1916, was launched on 29 February at the Unitarian Church in Dublin by Mary Kennedy of RTÉ, and will be launched in Galway on 16 March in Tigh Giblin, An Spidéal.

The work contains several pieces that reference the 1916 proclamation signatories, including ‘Planxty James Connolly’, ‘Ceannt the Piper’, ‘McDonagh’s March’ and ‘MacDiarmada’s Dream’. Commissioned by Gael Linn, which recently received a TG4 Gradam Ceoil award for its contribution to Irish culture over 60 years, Áille na hÁille features a range of traditional and classical musicians, including Finghin Collins (piano), Elizabeth Cooney (violin), RTÉ Con Tempo Quartet, Ronan Browne (uilleann pipes, flute, whistle), Éilís Lennon (violin), Caitlín Nic Gabhann (concertina), Seán Lennon (fiddle), Jim Higgins (percussion) and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (vocals).

As well as instrumental pieces, Lennon sets poems by Pádraig Pearse and Joseph Plunkett to music, sung by Nic Amhlaoibh. Collins and Cooney perform a new three-movement sonata for piano and violin titled Glaoch chun Saoirse/Call to Freedom.

Lennon is from Kiltyclogher in Co. Leitrim, but now lives in An Spidéal. He discovered through his father-in-law, Tim Ó Flaithearta from An Spidéal, that signatories Seán MacDiarmada (also from near Kiltyclogher) and Éamonn Ceannt were regular visitors to the area, along with Pearse.

Listen below to Ronan Browne on pipes and Lennon on fiddle play ‘Ceannt the Piper’, which pays tribute to Ceannt, who as well as being one of the organisers of the Rising was also an uilleann piper.

For more on the album, visit https://goo.gl/WVlNWy

Published on 7 March 2016

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