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Concert at the Royal Over-Seas League

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Concert at the Royal Over-Seas League

1 November 2021

Irish Heritage got its first concert since lockdown with a live audience, off to a flying start on the 20th October at the Royal Over-Seas League in London St James’s. The concert featured performances from the bursary winners of 2020/21 who would have played last year but unable because of Covid restrictions. Mollie Wrafter from Co. Offaly, who won her bursary for violin, played among other pieces, a memorable rendition of Sean O’Riada’s Mna ha hEireann. She was followed by Justine Gormley, from Belfast, playing pieces from Bach and Rachmaninoff on piano.

Aran O’Grady from Bray in Co Wicklow, had the premiere of his composition ‘Zeitgeist’, for which he won the composer’s bursary sponsored by The Ireland Funds of Great Britain. Our Brackaville bursary winner for vocal studies, Ellen Mawhinney, was unable to perform at the concert very sadly, so a tremendously pleasing section was added with our previous bursary winner on flute, Amy Gillen, joining Justine Gormley, to play two magical melodies of Phil Coulter, receiving a resounding ovation.

The final part was an incredibly uplifting session, taking the night out on a high, when Tiffany Qiu from Dundalk, played works of Debussy and List on the piano and had the audience enthralled. The whole evening was produced by our own Audrey McKenna, from Dublin, who is now in her fourth year as artistic director of Irish Heritage.

You can watch back the performances via our YouTube channel.

Irish Heritage bursary winners at the Royal Over-Seas League in London St James’s
Irish Heritage bursary winners at the Royal Over-Seas League in London St James’s