- Sunday October 18th
- 5pm
- €12.50
The award winning University of Galway Alumni Ensemble are delighted to present a concert with the all male ensemble Airneán.
Airneán is an all male vocal group focused on preserving and reimagining Irish folk songs through the medium of choral music. Many of the songs are arranged by the members themselves. In the short two years since their establishment, they have performed in a variety of venues around Ireland, collaborating with a range of Irish and overseas groups. In 2024 they released their first EP titled “Mind the Step”, consisting of 5 pieces performed at their first Kilkenny concert. In May 2025, at their first competition in Navan, they won the Male Voice Competition and the Comórtas Gaeilge and this year were the inaugral champions of the Fingal International Festival of Voices.
The group also records songs in-house, and released their first studio single, Scáil, an original setting by Cian Grant of a modern Irish poem in late 2025.
Also performing are the University of Galway Alumni Choir, who won the National Competition for Light, Jazz & Popular Music at the recent Cork International Choral Festival. The choir consists of graduates from Galway University with the singers celebrating 25 years singing together this year. Under the direction of Peter Mannion, the choir wowed the audience and judges with a madrigal version of the Spice Girls song Wannabe and a barbershop rendition of Bad Guy by the pop star Billie Eilish. The choir were also awarded the John Mannion Trophy, a special additional award to a chamber choir for the performance of a work in the National Competitions.
2026 has been a fruitful year for the choir with the group winning two categories at the Ennis Choral Festival in February and the group are celebrating twenty five years together singing with a number of key performances and events.
Both the Alumni Ensemble and Airneán are also prominently featured on TG4 as part of Curfá, which is due to be broadcast later this autumn.
A rare opportunity to see Irelands two finest vocal ensembles in action.
