Níos Deanaí Dé Sathairn (Saturday Late Concert)

Irish Rhapsodies: Selena O’Neill and Seán Doherty (World Premieres)

Aoife Ní Bhriain (violin) and Cormac McCarthy (piano), long-time musical collaborators, present the world premiere of Irish Rhapsody by Selena O’Neill. Both performers are known for their ease across classical and Irish traditional music, bringing a natural, expressive approach to this newly rediscovered piece.

Selena O’Neill (b. 1893) was a pianist active in the Irish music community in Chicago, best known for accompanying the collector Francis O’Neill in his later publications. Until recently, she had not been recognised as a composer. Irish Rhapsody, uncovered through new research, is the first known example of her work in this role. This piece blends Irish traditional tunes with the virtuoso character of a concert work, offering a rare glimpse of a previously unheard voice in Irish music.

The programme also includes a new Irish Rhapsody by Seán Doherty, conceived as a contemporary response to O’Neill’s composition. Structured as an unfolding canon, the work draws together a range of Irish tune types—jigs, reels, hornpipes, highlands, waltzes and mazurkas—which overlap and converge as the music gathers momentum. It is framed by The Lament for Rogers O’Neill, linking the new work back to the musical world from which O’Neill’s original emerged.