Dermot Kennedy, Denise Chaila, John Francis Flynn, Selló & more for 100 years of the Irish State concert
Ireland 100: An Old Song Re-Sung is a special live concert at the RDS this weekend.
Ireland 100: An Old Song Re-Sung is a celebration of 100 years of the Irish State as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023, which happens this Saturday October 7th in the RDS, which will be aired on RTÉ One on October 30th.
Ireland 100: An Old Song Re-Sung commemorates the hundred years from 1923 – 2023 through performance, song, music, dance, and spoken word.
Performing at the event, presented by RTÉ and South Wind Blows, will be Dermot Kennedy, Denise Chaila, Selló, John Francis Flynn, Lisa Hannigan, The Scratch and more.
Other names announced include drill star Irish writer Anne Enright, poet Paula Meehan, Hugh Lane Gallery director Barbara Dawson, filmmaker Lelia Doolan, dance artist Edwina Guckian, Senator Eileen Flynn, and traditional artists Dónal Lunny, Pauline Scanlon, Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhriain.
reland 100 will also feature exclusive filmed performances from the acclaimed Conor O’Brien and the great concertina player Cormac Begley.
Previously announced performers and contributors including Damien Dempsey, Aidan Gillen, Tolü Makay, Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Síle Denvir with Bláth na hÓige and Liam Ó Maonlaí, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Dara Ó Cinnéide, Loah, Martin Hayes, Eamonn McCann, FeliSpeaks, Diarmaid Ferriter, Sally Mulready OBE, director Mia Mullarkey, musician Steo Wall and the London Irish Elders Choir.
Ireland 100: An Old Song Re-Sung takes its title from W. B. Yeats’s poem Down By The Salley Gardens. Yeats, was the first Irish Nobel laureate from the newly independent State, winning the award in 1923, the year in which the opening of the show is set.
1923 was also the year that Ireland joined the newly-established League of Nations, thus marking formal recognition and the country’s entry into the international community. This moment marks the end of a uniquely transformative period in our history which saw huge social and political change as the developing new State navigated an uncertain future, filled with possibilities.
Applications for free tickets have now closed. The concert will be broadcast on RTÉ One, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday 30 October.
