The Voice Squad: Phil Callery, Fran McPhail and Gerry Cullen

Alongside pieces by Elgar, Pärt, Bruckner and Brahms, the premiere of a new suite of sea shanties for choir and musicians by Shaun Davey will take place next Saturday, 3 March, in the National Concert Hall as part of a concert celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Dún Laoghaire Choral Society. Dún Laoghaire / Rathdown County Council provided the funding for commissioning the new work from Davey. Joining the Society for Songs of the Sea and other Davey pieces (‘Bealtine na Maighdine’, ‘The Deer’s Cry’, ‘May We Never Have to Say Goodbye’) will be Liam O’Flynn, Rita Connolly, Eoin Begley, Des Moore, Gerry O’Beirne (playing a five-string banjo) and Laurence Courtney. Other guests of the Society will be Noel Eccles and Fergal Caulfield and the evening will be presented and conducted by David Brophy.

Later in the month, this year’s St Patrick’s Festival concert at the National Concert Hall, as presented by Kieran Hanrahan of Céilí House, features a recently re-formed Voice Squad; Jack Talty and Cormac Begley performing with a sean-nós and a modern dancer; the group Fullset; Mick Hanly; and the Céilí House All Stars Céilí Band.

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