ICO to dedicate series of concerts to 1916

RENOWNED actor Des Keogh will join the Irish Chamber Orchestra for a series of concerts to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising, including a show in St Mary’s Cathedral.

The ICO is calling the concert series, also taking in shows at The Mansion House and Glor theatre in Ennis, 1916 – Revolution and Rhetoric, with themes of “love, loss and transience dominating a poignant programme”.

Keogh, whose daughter Oonagh is a long serving member of the ICO, will narrate a “nostalgic pot-pourri of music and poetry of the time”, with a programme of some of Ireland’s finest music sitting alongside classic poems by W.B Yeats, Padraig Pearse.

Expect John Kinsella’s The Splendid Years, Sir Arnold Bax’s In Memoriam and Roger Doyle’s evocative Steal a Kiss for Solo Harp, with the Albiez Trio enhancing the programme, bringing their unique rich blend of Irish trad to bear. The ICO’s 1916 – Revolution and Rhetoric, will be performed in St Mary’s Cathedral on April 7 and in Glor the following night. See www.irishchamberorchestra.com.