Focus
A Mass Amidst a Housing Crisis: Amanda Feery’s 'NEST'
Launched this month at the Cork Midsummer Festival, Amanda Feery's new album contains a 43-minute work that the composer describes as a Mass for tenants. Adrian Smith reviews. 
Curated with Care in Dundalk
The Louth Contemporary Music Festival on 13 and 14 June in Dundalk featured Daisy Press, Daan Vandewalle, Apartment House and the Aleph Guitar Quartet. James Camien McGuiggan reviews 
A ‘Modest Uplift’ or Major Neglect? Music and the Arts in Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland announced a 'modest uplift' for arts organisations this month, but after two decades of cuts and stand-still budgets, it is not enough, writes Michael Quinn. 
The Paradox Only Partially Resolved: Bono's Stories of Surrender
A new film about Bono is drawn from the singer's autobiographical show at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Brendan Finan reviews. 
Pushing the Possibilities
British ensemble The Hermes Experiment opened this year's Dublin International Chamber Music Festival. Adrian Smith reviews. 
A Deep Engagement with the Tradition
Composer Seán Doherty has recently released 'The Devil’s Dream', a collection of chamber works inspired by Irish traditional music, featuring the Sonoro Quartet, Sylvia O’Brien and Mark Redmond. Adrian Smith reviews. 
‘That is the Writer’s Decision!’: The Legacy of Desmond Fennell
To mark the publication of 'The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell' on 6 June, Journal of Music Editor Toner Quinn reflects on his experiences working with the writer and their correspondence over almost twenty years. 
What Now for the Arts Council?
After a failed IT project costing €6.675 million and the departure of Director Maureen Kennelly, the Arts Council faces a crisis of trust and direction. What does it mean for those who work in the sector, asks Toner Quinn. 
A Tenderness Created in the Moment
Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson’s Snowpoet have just released their fourth album, 'Heartstrings'. Philip Watson reviews. 
Tradition in Motion: Strung Live in Dublin
The Irish traditional/classical ensemble Strung – Maria Ryan, Lucia Mac Partlin, Luke Howard and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz – performed at the Unitarian Church in Dublin on 20 May. Brendan Finan reviews.