The Linenhall Arts Centre is delighted to announce that it is presenting New Music of Mayo, an exciting project of new commissions from some of Mayo’s finest artists.

Curated by musician Emer Mayock, this music series features newly composed music, song, dance and poetry from a selection of 15 of Co. Mayo’s finest traditional artists. The series will be released over five episodes via the Linenhall’s online platform and three artists will be showcased per episode.

'I am delighted that The Linenhall Arts Centre has presented me with the opportunity to reach out to a wide range of traditional artists from Mayo and invite them to engage in the creative process of composition. It is a landmark series that represents the rich and varied traditional arts of this county and I have no doubt that it will be hugely enriching for audiences and the traditional arts in Mayo', says Emer Mayock about the project.

The Music of Mayo project originated as a three-month artist residency with Mayock at the Linenhall Arts Centre in the autumn and winter of 2017 and 2018. The residency celebrated Traditional music in Mayo and in particular the compositions of Mayo musicians and singers from the past, present and future. It combined desk and field research, as well as music sharing, composing, recording, and workshops, and it resulted in a unique digital resource of notated songs and tunes, a CD recording, and a concert featuring some of Mayo’s leading lights in Traditional music at the Linenhall

The Linenhall teamed up with the Music of Mayo project again in May 2020, celebrating traditional music from and associated with the county. The theme of the performances was the music of Mayo represented through musical style, compositions and repertoire, presenting tunes that have survived through generations of Mayo people up to the present day.

The project is now revisited once again in 2021, this time with a focus on newly commissioned work from traditional artists throughout the county including the three Gaeltacht regions, as well as a specially commissioned poem that pays tribute to our cultural heritage. Artists featured are: Alannah Thornburgh; David Doocey; Des Cafferkey; Eadaoin Ní Mhaicín; Fiachna Ó Mongáin; Ger Reidy; Holly Geraghty; Jillian O’Malley; Joe Carey; John Hoban; John Twin McNamara; Liam Scanlon; Mary Staunton & Jerry Mulvihill; Stephen Doherty; Tim McHugh.

‘We feel very privileged to be surrounded by such talented artists in the county and to have some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians based in Mayo’, says Director of the Linenhall, Bernadette Greenan. ‘We are particularly pleased to work with Emer again in order to support and present the work of Mayo artists to our audiences through online platforms, until we can open our doors again’.

Tickets to all five episodes are €15 and the first episode of the series will commence on Thurs 10 June, running until Thurs 8 July. A new episode will be released weekly and ticket holders will have until the end of July to access the series online