News: NCH presents ‘Rebel Irishwomen’, a Special Concert to Celebrate St. Brigid’s Day this February.

‘Rebel Irishwomen’ features: Landless, Niamh Bury, Dr. Mary McAuliffe National Concert Hall, John Field Room, Sunday 5 February at 3pm Tickets: €15 On Sale 24th January 2023, 10am

Media Release, 24 January 10am

The National Concert Hall is delighted to announce Rebel Irishwomen, a unique St. Brigid’s Bank Holiday event inspired by the 1966 Claddagh Records release of the same name. The original record brought listeners into the personal experiences, recollections and songs of three women who were particularly associated with the 1916 Rising; Helena Molony, Maud Gonne McBride and Kathleen Behan. For this special performance, the songs will be reinterpreted by acclaimed female vocal group Landless, rising Irish folk star Niamh Bury and explored by historian and lecturer Dr Mary McAuliffe. 

As Cathal Ó Seanáin wrote in the sleeve notes at the time, Helena Molony, Maud Gonne McBride and Kathleen Behan, were ‘among the militant nationalists’ who were passionate about Irish independence. This exclusive concert opens a window on the deeper impact of the role of women at this historic time and the ways in which their role had been previously represented. 

The performers on the night each bring their exceptional talents to the interpretations. Landless are well-known for their unaccompanied singing of traditional songs from Irish, Scottish, English and American traditions in close four-part harmony and have impressed audiences at home and abroad. Niamh Bury’s star on the domestic folk scene is firmly in the ascent, in recent years she has collaborated and shared the stage with acts like Ye Vagabonds, Varo and Myles O'Reilly, and has performed at festivals such as Body & Soul and The St. Patrick's Festival. Mary McAuliffe is a highly-respected historian, lecturer, and Director of Gender Studies at UCD. She specialises in Irish women's / gender history and traumas histories of gendered violence of Ireland's revolutionary period.  

Last year, Claddagh Records released a special edition of ‘Rebel Irishwomen’ to mark the 100th anniversary of the Irish Free State featuring the original recordings and interpretations.

This concert is supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Tickets €15 
On Sale 24 January 2023, 10am
www.nch.ie   
Box Office Tel: 01 4170000