TRAD MEETS BAROQUE
"Inside Pádraic O'Niall's Library"

Irish tunes neatly penned on the back of printed music published in Dublin, Irish language songs and poetry

written next to books in Latin, Ancient Greek, English and French...

 

Pádraig O Niall’s library was a place of great knowledge and variety, a distinct point where Irish language met 18th century Europe. Now in the National Library, five books with traditional dance tunes and songs in Pádraig’s hand form the basis of this concert on historical instruments, alongside a taste of music from Dublin publishers on which these tunes were notated.

 

Pádraig’s manuscripts are the earliest known notations of traditional music from an Irish Gaelic person. Prior to

this we have prints from Dublin publishers, often with unclear sources. He lived from 1765-1832 in Owning,

Co. Kilkenny, and was a miller and a farmer, but also piper and fiddle player who sung and wrote Irish poetry.

 

Join us for an exploration into the sounds of the beginning of the Irish music tradition as we know it today!